Darker Than Night
by FoxRain7
Summary: Kagome is a simple maid in the land of Ando. Her life is perfect... That is, until the prince of Lutaru comes to make things official. As some bonds grow stronger and others break, dark secrets will be revealed... Full Sum inside, plz read!
1. Prologue & Chapter 1: Attack

**Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha. The plot and some characters belongs to me! **

**Full Summary: **The ancient country of Japan was divided into four lands; the land of Yomi, Ando, Furyoku, and Lutaru. Kagome is a simple maid in the land of Ando. She serves her master and best friend Sango, and her life is perfect, even in this time of war. That is, until the prince of Lutaru comes to make things official. As some bonds grow stronger and others break, dark secrets will be revealed... the secrets of Hell itself.

**Hope you like it! **

* * *

><p><strong>Darker Than Night<strong>

**-Prologue-**

The big room was dark and hollow. The light shining through the windows wasn't enough to brighten the king's room. The only thing visible was the symbol above the throne; the symbol of the Lutaru land.

It was a huge dragon. With its wings spread out and its head drawn back to roar, it almost seemed like a picture. The stones at its feet were just as detailed as its gray scales, and the dragon's blue eyes were as cold as ice. This painting was the original one; the one which gave birth to the more simple, the most known symbols.

The shadows on the floor were motionless. Soldiers stood as still as the walls themselves. Only two shadows moved; those of the king and prince.

"What are you saying?" the prince demanded in outrage. His long black braid fell to his hips and the purple star on his forehead shone in the small light the walls could offer. "I can't leave here, especially not when our kingdom is at war with the land of Yomi!"

"You must and you will," the emperor replied calmly. "Now that the land of Yomi has allies in the land of Furyoku, we have no other choice. I have already sent a letter to the king of Ando. You will take the men you need and leave tomorow night."

"No way!" He hand was now curled into a fist. "This is my land! I can't leave here! Send another to go in my place! Take Hiten, or-"

"Bankotsu!" The emperor's voice boomed in the room. "Do not go agaisnt my orders! You are not a child anymore, you see sense in what I'm saying! The enemy cannot get their hands on our treasure, you understand that!"

The teenager did not answer. The king sighed and continued, "In our last Gathering, Lord Sesshomaru and Lord Naraku were standing rather close to each other."

"You don't need to remind me," Bankotsu growled. "I want them to go back to arguing all the time."

"So do I. But some times are hard, and some alliances must be formed for the best. Borders must be crossed for food, and when you have more soldiers to hunt, you gather more prey. However... these days, prey is scattered everywhere. There is only one reason why they can form an alliance... Ando has to know about this."

"But why must _I_ go? Why can't you send someone else?"

"It is a sign of trust," the emperor said. "If we send in the prince himself, they know we can trust our lives to them, and that they can rely on us."

The prince inwardly groaned. _"He had everything planned, didn't he?" _"I'm guessing I'm going to be staying there for a month of two?"

"After two Gatherings, you may return."

His eyes widened. "_Three_ months? Are you kidding me? I can't stay there for that long!"

"The land of Ando is like any other clan. Only, they are more compasionnate about others. And I've heard there were many young women there," the king teased.

In other circumstances, Bankotsu would smirk, thinking of the beautiful women the land of Ando had that Lutaru didn't. But of course, this was not the case. "Ando is a land completly out of my league! I'm betting you I won't last a week, and you'll find my body dumped into a well."

"If the emperor of Ando heard you say that, he really would dump you in a well. You know that they aren't cruel. Nothing changes the fact that you are leaving. Choose your men. Leave tomorow night. That is all," the emperor dissmissed his son.

Bankotsu tried to find something to convince his father to let him stay, to send someone else. But he couldn't find anything. And arguing with the king was never a good idea.

The sound of feet heading to the door echoed in the room. He slit the door open and walked out. Before closing it behind him, he asked, "Is becoming allies with a clan really a good idea? For both the people and treasure?"

The emperor sighed. "To protect your people, you must sometimes make sacrifices. Even if that sacrifice means the loss of the lives of your allies. But above protecting your people, saving your greatest strength comes first. Lose it, and we're all doomed."

Bankotsu slit the door shut.

~O*O~

**Chapter 1: Attack**

In a bright room, two girls were walking around the whole place, opening and closing closets, and asking each other for things. Accessories flew all about, kimonos were scattered all around the floor, and the colors of the rainbow were painted on the walls.

Kagome and Sango stopped moving and looked at each other. They bursted out laughing at their appearances.

Their hair was ruined from the things they tried, and their faces were shining of all colors because of the makeup they smudged on. Sango laughed because of how ridiculous her best friend looked like in those regular clothes and ruined makeup. Kagome laughed because she had never seen her master look so terrible with her hair ruined.

"Here," Sango said as she reached for a paper flower in Kagome's hair. "Let me get that for you."

Her friend shook her hand away. "You shouldn't be doing all of this for me. _I_ should be the one preparing _you_."

She shook her head. "Now don't say that. I'm doing this because you deserve it. You were my best friend since we were ten, and I still don't understand why my father decided to keep you as my servant. It's just not right."

"Come on, you know why," Kagome said as she folded a kimono. "I came here as a stranger, and it just so happened that we became best friends. It's going take another few years before I'm finally free."

Her master sighed. "I suppose you're right... Oh!" She bent down and grabbed a purple kimono. "How would this look like on you?"

Kagome obversed it well. Then, she shook her hand as if she were dissmissing it. "Thanks, but no thanks. I'm not planning on matching Miroku's clothes, even if we are both servants of the prince and princess of Ando."

Sango laughed. "Good point. Knowing him, he'd take something purple again."

"Let's just hope Kohaku can convince him into wearing something else tonight. But I doubt Miroku's going to listen," said Kagome as she rolled her eyes.

"Did I hear my name?" Miroku opened the door. The second he saw the room, his eyes were wide like a fishe's. "Whoa. Did you have a party and forgot to invite me?"

"We wouldn't forget to invite you, we _wouldn't_ invite you," Kagome said.

Sango giggled. Then, turnning to her brother's servant, she said, "Don't worry, I'm sure she's just joking."

_"I was half joking," _Kagome thought. Her friend continued, "Now, monk, please leave us be, we need to choose what we're going to wear tonight. And you can't be here to see it. I'll send Kirara after you if you do."

The kitten, hiding in the closet, jumped out at the mention of her name. She looked up at Miroku and mewed innocently. But everyone in the room knew how vicious the cat could get if she got big.

Miroku swallowed hard and nodded. "Of course. But if you're going to change, you'll need to do it quick."

Kagome tilted her head in question. "Why?" She looked outside. "There's still a lot of light. I heard that this 'special event' is going to happen tonight. We've still got time."

He seemed just as confused as her. "You don't know what the event is?"

Sango shook her head. "Father didn't tell me anything about it, so Kagome doesn't know what's going on either. We were told this morning that we are to be in our best dress, and that was it. Do you know?"

Miroku nodded. "You see... the prince of Lutaru is coming here."

The girls' eyes widened. "Bankotsu?" Sango asked in dismay. "Why would he come here? Especially in this time of war..." She was suddenly very alarmed. "Are they coming for an attack?"

"If it was an attack, your father wouldn't ask you to look your best, now would he?" Miroku teased. "No, I think it has something to do with buisness. Something that we probably shouldn't know of until the next hour."

Kagome blinked. "The next hour...? Isn't it... tonight?"

The monk was apprehensive. "Things have changed... you see-"

"Is everyone ready yet?" A woman with short hair barged in and cut Miroku off. Her too, when she saw the room, was speachless. "Oh my. Did a demon come in a ruin your room?"

"The only demon here is Kirara and she has enough sense to keep everything clean," Kagome giggled. "Yes, Miss Naoko, what is it?"

Naoko was the one who took care of Kagome when she arrived. The poor woman lost her first child to a demon, and her second died of illness. Kagome was like a gift from heaven. She raised her like her own daughter and taught her everything she knew.

Of course, even if her adopted child was sixteen, she'd still see her as a baby.

She gasped as her eyes landed on the two girls. "What are you two doing? Your hair! Your face! Oh, dear, what am I going to do with you children? And you have to be ready in an hour...! Oh..."

Immediatly, she got to work. She shooed Miroku out. "You, monk, go to the emperor and tell him everything is under control. Everything will be fine, we'll be right... on... time..."

They could all tell how nervous the lady was, and the monk was out in a second. As soon as he was out, Naoko was already grabbing the kimonos on the floor, cleaning the room and washing the girl's faces. She worked as if she were a demon.

Of course, what more would you expect from the woman who raised Kagome?

In forty-five minutes, she was done. The girls had to wear ten kimonos before finally deciding. Sango wore a blue kimono with golden and very detailed flowers at its feet. Kagome's dress was green with sakura blossoms.

Since Sango was the princess, of course she had to look better than anyone else.

On their way to the emperor's room, Miroku and Kohaku joined them. At the door, a woman in fancy clothing scowled at them. "Where have you been?" she scolded. "Naoko, Kagome, Miroku! I see you have chosen your attire well. But couldn't you have chosen something... less showy? And Sango's hair! Oh dear, you should've worn something other than that golden flower! Naoko, weren't there any blue accessories? This does not fit her at all! And Kohaku, you must keep shoulders straight when you face your father. Oh, you still need to watch your manners!"

Naoko, Miroku, and Kagome bowed their heads as a sign of respect. "Yes, Lady Hamada."

That sign of respect towards her was nothing more than a sign of 'Burn in Hell when you die, please'.

Lady Hamada was the head of one of the welthiest families in Ando. She somehow managed to get the emperor to let her stay here, as if she were a queen. It wasn't like the king fell for her or anything... In fact, nobody knew why she was staying with them. But either way, she still held power over the servants, and held almost as much power as the prince and princess.

She had such a rotten attitude that if you didn't please her at first, she'll remain bitter towards you for the rest of your life. Literally. A kind yet poor servant died of illness months ago, and Hamada didn't shed a tear. All because that servant was late at most mettings. Nobody's ever seen her good side, if she had one.

Ever since then, the whole household have been hating her. They've even nicknamed her 'Naraku's woman'. Her own slaves quit and left for their village, so she didn't have anyone to boss around. So she bossed the rest of the servants around to pass the time. It was as if she thought she was the queen herself, she even acted like Kohaku and Sango's mother.

Let her try to get married to the emperor. The witch would never be as beautiful and as sweet as the original queen.

"Lady Hamada, please, we look perfect. There isn't any need to mistreat my servants," she said as she tried to hide the biterness in her tone.

The woman sighed. "Noticing the errors these three have comitted will not change anything now. Quickly, we must head downstairs to the entrance. Naoko, you will remain stay with us in case... We need you for something."

After walking many stairs, they arrived at the main gate. Kagome wasn't the only one surprised when the first thing they saw was grey smoke from the forest.

"Is the forest on fire?" Miroku asked in alarm.

The emperor, a little further from them, slowly shook his head. "This smoke is grey, not black like a forest fire's. And look up."

A flash of blue light appeared from the smokes, and disappeared a second later. A moment later, two lights appeared side by side. One green, and one yellow. They were taken in by the smoke as faster than the blue light.

Kagome looked at the grey smoke, wishing for something else to appear. But the blue, green, and yellow light continued to reappear and disappear, just as they did the first time.

"Oh no," her voice was merely a whisper.

War cannons always shot grey smoke. Each clan had a specific color; Ando's was red, Lutaru's was blue, Furyoku's was green, and Yomi's was yellow. Those colors would be shot out into the smoke to show who was at war.

Most times, only one spark showed after another. But this time, it was two. Which only meant one thing...

"A battle..." Kohaku said as he stood next to his father. "The Lutarus agaisnt..." He trailed off and looked at his father in horror, waiting for his thoughts to be confirmed.

The emperor nodded, his eyes serious. "They're against the land of Furyoku and Yomi."

"That means total destruction of the Lutaru clan!" Sango exclaimed. "They can't be foolish enough to demolish the royal temple...!"

"Ever since Lord Naraku has taken over Yomi, nothing's been going right," Miroku said.

"This is why I have called you earlier," the emperor said as he turned to everyone. "The land of Anso has officially become Lutaru's allies." Before any of them could ask why, he explained, "Lord Sesshomaru and Lord Naraku have joined forces. The Lutaru clan knows why, and for both clans to survive, we must do the same.

"Lord Hokotsu sent me a letter saying that he'd send his son, Bankotsu, here to share information about why Yomi and Furyoku would possibly come together. This is also a great sign of trust. The prince was to arrive tonight with a few of his men, and they were to stay here for four months."

He glanced sadly at the sky. "Apparently, it seems that Furyoku and Yomi have reacted before any of us could."

Everyone remained silent, until Kagome asked, "What can we do...?"

The emperor sighed. "Our troops would arrive too late if I were to send them now. All we can do now is wait for survivors." His eyes were serious again, and he ordered, "Naoko, I want you to get all doctors and priestess ready."

The woman nodded quickly and ran off into the temple.

He turned to his children and assistants. "You four. Get your weapons ready. Tell Koga the wolf demon and Toran the panther demon to gather their troops. As soon as that's done, join me back here."

"Father, you said it was useless to try to send help," Kohaku told his father.

The emperor shook his head. "Members of the clan of Lutaru would try to come here, but so will the enemy. They don't seem to want anyone to survive. When you see survivors of the Lutaru clan, accompany them just till here. The enemy may be right behind them, and they'll need someone to watch their backs."

He told Miroku, "Go get Koga and Toran, quick! Get ready!"

In five minutes, all of them were at the main enterance. Koga and Toran were standing in front, since they were the leaders. Kagome and Sango already explained to them what the situation was, so they knew what to do.

Sango was riding on Kirara, her huge boomerang in hand. Kohaku stood right next to her, his own huge weapon with him. Miroku had his staff, and Kagome had her bow. All were ready for battle.

Naoko ran up to the king, huffing and puffing to gather some air. "The... medical station... is... getting ready, sir!"

He nodded to her and announced loudly, to the croud in front of him, "Do not let the enemy enter Ando, for this will be their next target! Kill the invaders on sight, and save every single member of Lutaru you can find!"

The cry of war sounded like one, and in an instant, everyone was in the forest, either searching by sky or on ground.

Since Koga was the fastest, he found a Lutaru soldier in a minute. It took him another minute to bring the soldier back to the temple, and take off. "That Koga never cesses to amaze me," Naoko said as she watched him run away in a gust of wind.

The emperor nodded. "You'd think he'd be in the Furyoku clan for his speed and agility..."

"Apparently, dogs and wolves don't go very well together, do they?" Naoko asked with a snicker.

~O*O~

Bankotsu swung his Banryuu to a Yomi soldier's head, and to another. The smell of blood was infuriating him. He could only see red, partly because of the scar right above his star tattoo on his forehead and because of the fire.

Bodies of his comrades and his enemies covered the red grass. Some of them suffocated because of the smoke, and some died at the hands of their enemies.

He spotted a bolt of lighting from the corner of his eye and jumped away. When he turned around, a Furyoku soldier was burned to a crisp. "Damn it, Hiten!" he yelled to the thunder demon in the sky. "Watch where you're aiming that thing!"

"Sorry 'bout that!" Hiten gritted through his teeth as a cannon ball flew right past him. He cringed, and held his wounded shoulder. "Bankotsu, you have to get going! Leave us here, you're supposed to get to Ando, remember?"

"Don't remind me!" the prince shouted as he dodged a blue-haired man's spear, and he shoved his halberd right into his back. The man was dead in an instant. "I'm not leaving here!"

"For the love of God, Bankotsu!" Jakotsu growled as he jumped next to him. "You have to get going! They're after the treasure, we can't afford to lose it, you know that!"

"I know that too!"

"Then go!" Hiten yelled through the grey smoke. "Go, and we'll follow right after! The Andos know there's a war, they've seen the signal, so they're ready to help!"

"Is that so?" A cool and soft voice spoke from the smoke. "Then where are their troops?"

Bankotsu froze, and turned around slowly. Oh, he could never forget that voice. It brought so much hatred, so much fury into his mind... The shape was getting clearer and clearer, and the rage inside grew stronger at every step. He growled coldly, "You..."

"Forget him!" Jakotsu said. "Go! NOW!"

The prince glared at the man standing in front of him. He didn't move. But then, a cry woke him up from everything. He turned around to see his father battling some of the strongest soldiers of the enemy clan. He recognized Kagura and Hakudoshi from the clan of Yomi. "Father!"

"He'll be fine!" Suikotsu yelled as he blocked what Bankotsu was seeing. "You're the next ruler of the kingdom, you have to live!"

"And as the next ruler of the kingdom, I intend on staying here, fighting with my comrades!"

"You leave us no other choice, sir."

Bankotsu turned around to see a flash of blue, but it was too late. A huge gust of wind covered his sight, and he was in the sky in seconds, transported by the wind, and was heading straight for the forest.

When he looked back, he yelled, "Ryura, you idiioooot!"

The dragon demon smirked. "We'll be right behind you! You get to safety first!" And he charged into battle with his Thunder Blade and Wind Blade.

Bankotsu wanted to swear all the words Buddah would even gasp at, but he was already getting further and further away from Lutaru. From his comrades and family...

He landed on the ground with a big thud, and immediatly wanted to turn around and get back to the battle, but he knew he'd arrive too late. One last time, he yelled to the sky, "Ryura, You FUCKING idiot! You'd better come back alive, every single one of you!"

Finally, he turned around and ran to the temple of Ando. He didn't even bother to check if he crossed the border or not. He only hoped that those people of Ando really did send help.

Only after a long time of walking did he realize that his right arm was cut, and that it was burning from the inside. _"Poison. Just what I need right now."_He knew that if he didn't hurry, he'd have to suffer the consenquences, whatever they were.

He heard a noise coming from behind him and froze. _"Great. Someone else to deal with. JUST WHAT I NEED. Does God hate me?"_

His right arm was injured, so he couldn't move it around much. With any luck, the enemy wouldn't have a weapon, and he'd die in a single blow. But apparently, he didn't have any luck.

The one who made the sound was a cat demon of Yomi - he could tell from the dark clothes he could see and from the shiny fangs -, and it pounced on him with its shiny claws.

Bankotsu dodged it with ease and prepared his Banryuu.

A single glance at the young teenager was enough to bring a huge grin on the demon's face. "Ah, so it is the prince of Lutaru, I see. If I bring your body to Lord Naraku, I will certainly be well rewarded."

"And if I bring your body to my dad, I'm sure he'll make carpets out of your fur!" he replied with a smirk.

With a growl, the cat demon pounced at him again, this time, aiming for his injured arm. Bankotsu jumped to the side and slashed the demon's sides. It roared in pain, and whipped around, its eyes flamming with rage. Blood dripped from its sides, and the prince of Lutaru was sure he must have broken, or at least slashed off, a rib.

He pointed his halberd at the demon, daring him to come closer. It dared.

The large cat started circling him slowly, then faster and faster. Bankotsu watched it closely. All of a sudden, the demon bursted at slashed his face. It went back to going round and round again.

He brought his hand up to his cheek, and found blood dripping from the wound. He clenched his teeth and growled at the demon. "No one... messes with the face. This face is royal, you hear me?"

The cat went at him again, but this time, he was ready. He slashed its arm off when it tried to aim for the royal face again. It roared and landed on the ground with a loud 'BOOM', and lay whimpering in pain.

Bankotsu stood over it, Banryuu pointing at its heart. "Any last words?"

The demon glared at the prince with pure hatred in its eyes, and spoke as it tried to keep breathing. "You just wait... Lord Naraku... will kill you... He will win... He will rule..."

He didn't wait for it to finish. As the halberd thrusted into the heart, a ripping noise was heard. Bankotsu snorted, drew his halberd back, and said in a monotone voice, "He will blablabla. Naraku isn't God, he'll never have my life."

He stared at the body in disgust and turned around. "Your fur isn't even worth making something out of. It's stained with Naraku. I don't need something so revolting."

When he looked at his halberd, he sighed. He almost sounded childish when he whined, "Great. Now I have to clean you again. And with all this blood, it's going to be hard."

He took one step forward, and that's what it took for him to cringe. _"Move, you stupid body. Move! I can't stay here forever."_

It was at times like these he wished he was born a demon like Hiten or Ryura.

For once, his body listened to him, and he continued moving. When he looked back at the sky, the smoke was starting to disappear. The battle was ending.

He couldn't imagine who was alive and who was dead. Was Jakotsu dead? What about his father? Did he live through it? Did some of his comrades already reach Ando?

He looked up at the sky in front of him and saw the tip of a temple. _"No doubt about it, it's Ando's temple."_

When he heard another sound, he inwardly groaned. An enemy couldn't have followed him all the way through, could it? What was with the Furyoku and Yomi soldiers?

He braced himself and waited for the enemy to show up. But no, it stopped moving.

He pointed his halberd to the hidden adversary, and he heard the sound of a string being pulled back. _"Wielding a bow, huh? This should be easy."_

And he shot himself and his sword forward.

* * *

><p><strong>First off, for the land names, I got them by searching Google and Wiki. They're in japanese, so if you are japanese, and I have offended you by mistranslating these names or by even using them as clan names... Forgive me D: Here they are, with their color;<strong>

**Ando = Peace/Stable (Red) - Note: Real clan name  
>Lutaru = Stone Dragon (Blue) - Note: Name of a dragon<br>Furyoku = Wind Power (Green)  
>Yami = Darkness (Yellow)<strong>

**For Hokotsu... I'm not a japanese expert, nor do I have the patience to try to find another name that ends with 'kotsu' on the internet, so I just took random letters, and voila. Hokotsu is born. **

**For those who find Ryura sounding familiar, he was in Inuyasha Movie 4, the blue-hair-braided dude :)**

**Plz Review~! Because I think I'll be updating once every two weeks, or even longer than that... but please, just continue reading! **

_**~FoxRain7~**_


	2. Chapter 2: Meeting

**Here's chapter 2 of Darker Than Night. Enjoy! :)**

* * *

><p><strong>Darker Than Night<strong>

**Chapter 2: Meeting**

Bankotsu's adversary dodged his attack quite easily.

It disappeared into the trees and shot an arrow at him. He ducked, and even felt the wind fly above his head. The arrow glowed a light pink. _"A sacred arrow," _he realised. _"Maybe she's the one from the land of Furyoku," _he thought as he remembered the black-haired woman sitting next to the emperor's brother, Inuyasha, at every Gathering.

She shot another arrow, and Bankotsu took this chance to get closer to her. The moment the arrow was shot, he ran at his enemy, and got ready to kill. He held no mercy against enemies, even if they were women.

Apparently, he had to jump away because she held a dagger hidden in her clothes. Bankotsu was surprised to see how well the woman fought. She was back in the shadows in an instant.

He glanced from one place to another, waiting for the next move. _"She can be anywhere. But since this land is unfamiliar to her, she has as much as difficulty moving around."_

He couldn't have been more wrong.

An arrow shot out of the bushes - really _from_ the bushes - and barely missed its target. It scratched his injured arm. He grunted as he held his right arm. _"Why is everybody going for the wounded one?"_

Another came from above, and Bankotsu deflected it with his halberd. Then, the leaves rustled. He immediatly chopped the tree down, but found nothing. _"The light on Banryuu blinded her for a moment, huh?" _He smirked. _"Let's use the light against her, then."_

He walked forward, and looked around. _"Come out, come out, wherever you are..."_

Suddenly, from the corner of his eye, he spotted a shine - the shine of the tip of an arrow. It was up on another tree. He didn't need to think twice. He swung his halberd, pointing towards his enemy, and was about to pierce her body.

But that's when he saw the face.

For a moment, he still saw the woman he thought his enemy was. But then, when he looked closer, he realised that this girl looked younger. Her eyes had more energy than the emotionless ones of Inuyasha's woman. He's already seen her before, too. But only a few times, during Gatherings.

He stood still, surprise on his face. Her expression was the same as his. Arrow and sword were facing each other head on, but none dared to make a move.

Finally, Bankotsu blinked and said, "... I know you."

The girl lowered her arrow very slightly, and looked down on him from the tree. "You're... the prince of Lutaru, aren't you?"

He brought Banryuu back and nodded, still on his guard. "That's me."

Unexpectedly, the girl on the tree was pretty. Beautiful even, in the sunlight shining through the leaves. Her brown eyes were full of energy and her hair was loose in the wind. He knew her name, he heard it before. What was it again? Ka... Kag... something that started with Ka, at least.

They were there, staring at each other for a little longer, before the girl regained her mind again. She blushed. "Oh! That's right! I'm so sorry!"

She was in such a rush to apologize - Bankotsu didn't know why - that she fell out of her tree and landed right on him. Her sudden weight on him made him lose his balance and fall over.

He was about to lash at the girl for being so clumsy, but when he opened his eyes...

Hhe was looking at heaven.

The green kimono she was wearing must have been slightly loose, because he could see her chest. Not completly, but still enough to make him get a nosebleed.

The girl groaned and shook her head. "Ouch... That hurt..."

Then, she realized the prince of Lutaru was staring at her almost-bare chest.

Her face went red, her hands went to cover her chest, and she slapped the man with a scream. "AHHHHH! You PERVERT!"

And then, she realized that she actually slapped the prince of Lutaru. She expected him to get furious, knowing how demanding some princes can get, but he only sat up calmly. He smirked when he saw that her face was still red. "So you think I'm a pervert?"

She didn't know what to say. So she said the first thing that came in mind, "You took pleasure in staring at my boobs, what else do you think you can be?"

Bankotsu laughed out loud, and she clamped her mouth shut. She humiliated herself in front of a prince. _"This is going to make Sango laugh so hard, she won't look at me the same way again."_

She stood up and said, more seriously, "My name is Kagome, servant of princess Sango of Ando. We're trying to find survivors of the Lutaru clan, sir."

_"Servant?" _he thought. _"But she's beautiful, I dont't see why she isn't more special than that." _

"Yeah, I've heard," he said as he stood up as well. He thought of his comrades and suddenly asked in alarm, "Wait, is my father back in your clan? What about my men? Are they okay?"

He scared Kagome just by asking these questions, but she replied calmly, "You'll have to go see yourself, sir. Please, follow me." She started walking away, but turned back around and asked with worried eyes, "Are you sure you're going to be okay with that arm, sir?"

He nodded. "Oh, yeah, don't worry. And spare me the 'sir', it sounds wierd."

This made her giggle again. He smiled. He liked this girl already. "Let's go, quickly," she said as she lead the way to the Ando temple.

~O*O~

"Jinenji!" Kagome called as she entered the medical room with Bankotsu right behind her. "I have the prince of Lutaru here injured, hurry!"

"I'm on my way," the giant replied in his soft voice. He bowed to Bankotsu before walking away to search for herbs. When Kagome announced the presence of the prince, many of the patients turned their heads to look at their leader.

"Bankotsu, sir?"

"Is that you, sir?"

"Bankotsu!" a familiar voice said. He turned his head and was relieved to find Jakotsu still alive. Injured, but alive. "You made it," the man with a sigh of relief.

"Who else is here?" the leader demanded.

Jakotsu looked around. "I've heard Hiten's voice, but I'm not sure if it was an illusion or not... Then, there's Suikotsu I've seen once..." It was hard to tell because of the doctors moving around, and the soldiers running up to their prince.

Bankotsu saw Kagome walking away, and called her, "Hey! Where are you going?"

She turned around and bowed. "I'm sorry, I have to go back to search for more survivors. Please, you have to stay here and try to make yourself comfortable. We may bring back more of your men."

He nodded. He admired her concern for another clan's men, but maybe that was just the way Ando thought. The kingdom was always known as the softest one of all. "Thank you for bringing me here."

She smiled and bowed again. She left without another word, and the giant from before - Jinenji, he remembered - appeared. His soft and comforting voice said, "Please, sir, follow me."

He smiled, still thinking of the girl he met. And of her chest. "Lead the way."

~O*O~

When Kagome ran past many injured soldiers, from both her clan and Lutaru's. _"This is bad," _she thought as she took quick looks at some of their wounds. Some only had minor wounds - these were mostly Ando warriors -, some were missing a part of their body, and some even lost consiousness because of the loss of blood. _"Those heartless Yomi soldiers didn't show any mercy," _she thought bitterly.

She stopped running when she was about to enter the forest and turned around to look at her temple. Her gaze shifted from one place to another, looking for any of her friends. She couldn't see Miroku, Sango, or Kohaku. Koga was no where to be found either. _"They must be in the forest," _she told herself. _"They're all strong, I'm sure they're still in there..." _

She tried to not imagine her friends lying in the grass, motionless, their life being sucked out of them... She shook her head. No. They're alive, they'll be back.

_"But a in a battle this big, of course, there will be many deaths," _she thought sadly. Any of the soldiers she's looking at can die from their wounds. Naoko and Jinenji will try their best to keep everyone alive, but what if that isn't enough?

"Kagome!"

She looked up and saw the emperor walking towards her. Some of the warriors of Lutaru turned around to stare in amazement at the Lord of Ando. He was sweating, and his own huge boomerang resting on his back seemed like it was slowing him down. There was blood sudged on his clothes. Kagome shocked, immediatly asked, "Sir? Your body! All that blood...!"

He shook his head. "No, this isn't my blood, don't worry."

She nodded, a little relieved. "Still, please, you shouldn't be moving around so much."

The emperor smiled. "I may be getting old, but I can still battle. Nevermind me, I've heard you brought the prince of Lutaru."

"That's right," she confirmed, remembering her encounter with the pervert. She inwardly groaned. It was an honor to meet him face to face, but... If only she hadn't fell on him.

"Good. Was he unharmed?"

"His arm was scratched, and I think it was poisoned, but he's in the medical room right now, and Jinenji himself is taking care of him, sir."

The emperor sighed. "What a relief. At least we saved Bankotsu."

Looking at his worried eyes, Kagome feared the worst. "We... didn't find the king yet?"

He slowly shook his head. "No. I think we are going to have to search Lutaru after this battle is over. To search for any other survivors... and to gather the remains." His expression changed from sadness to determination. "I want you to go to Lutaru with Sango, Shuran, and Koga when they return. You'll need their help."

"Did you call me, sir?" Koga appeared from the trees with an groaning warrior on his shoulders.

"Yes, but I will explain everything when you return that man to the doctors."

"Loud and clear."

Just when the wolf was about to take off, Kagome said, "Koga, you ought to be careful with carying people. Especially when they're hurt." She glanced at the poor man who kept on groaning because of the bumpy ride with worried eyes. "You're going to give your patients a headache if you always run so fast."

He winked at her. "Hey, you know I can take care of 'em just fine."

Koga disappeared just as fast as he came. Kagome breathe a sigh of relief when she spotted Miroku, Sango, and Kirara coming out of the temple. They were safe. Her best friend immediatly ran towards her father, and said, "Kohaku's inside, he's helping Jinenji sort things out."

Her father nodded. "Very well. Miroku, you get back into the forest. I need to speak with Sango and Kagome."

The monk bowed. "Understood." Her ran off in search for survivors.

Kirara stayed by her master's side. Sango asked, "What's this about father? We have to go!"

He shook his head. "Not now. I have another task for you. Have you seen Shuran the panther demon?"

Sango frowned. "No... But I'm sure he'll be back some time now."

Koga came back, being the fast wolf he was, and said, "I'm back! So what do you need me for, sir?"

The emperor looked around, searching the male panther demon who was missing, and groaned. "Never mind. Forget about Shuran. Take as many carts and men you need to go to Lutaru's temple, and gather the survivors. In fact, gather any bodies of Lutaru's men you can find."

Koga and Sango were surprised, but all three got to work. They gathered all the strong men they could find - they even found Shuran, who appeared a little later - and got ready to take off.

Until Bankotsu showed up.

"I'm coming with you!" he yelled.

Another... 'man' was runnig after him. "Bankotsu, get back here! You're supposed to stay here!"

"That doesn't matter right now!" he yelled to him over his shoulder. He turned to the emperor and said, "Please, sir, if you're going back to my temple, let me go there. I have to see if-"

Sango's father shook his head and said with serious eyes, "No. You are injured, and you are the head of the Lutaru clan. If there are enemy soldiers left on the other side on the border, we cannot bring you there."

Bankotsu growled. "But it's _my_ kingdom. I have a right to go. And if there are enemies left there, I'll kill them myself!"

"Your arrogance will not keep you alive if you go into battle like this," the emperor said, his voice trembling from trying to keep his calm. He was losing his patience and his troops had to leave immediatly.

He was about to bark back, when Kagome came in between them and pleaded, "We'll take care of everything and search for your father, I give you my word. But if you come with us as you are now, the poison may spread."

_"She knows about the poison," _he realized. He looked into her brown eyes, trying to search for any trace of lie, but only found honesty. She really was giving him her word. He sighed in defeat and mumbled, "Fine."

"Let's go back in," Jakotsu said as he took his friend's shoulder and gently took him inside.

The emperor casted a grateful glance at Kagome and announced, "Go!"

When Bankotsu looked back, Kagome and her comrades were gone.

~O*O~

Koga was taking the lead, due to his useful nose and speed. Sango and Kagome followed him on a flying Kirara. The smoke almost completly disppeared now, but nothing guaranteed that the battle was over.

Kagome looked behind her and saw men either carrying carts or riding in them. Shuran was the strongest, so he at least carried two large carts. _"So that's why the emperor requested him." _On their way to Lutaru's temple, they came across groups of injured soldiers, and some carts had to go back. Kagome stared at them go in pity. _"They lost their home... It's just not fair."_

Kirara's nose seemed to wrinkle everytime they got closer and closer to the battlefield. "What's wrong, Kirara?" Sango asked. "It is the smell of smoke?"

"What do you think?" Koga said from below. "It's not only the smoke, but the scent of blood is disgusting! When we arrive there, there's probably going to be the smell of fresh corpses too."

He guessed right. When they arrived at the scene, Yomi and Furyoku were gone, but remains of their soldiers were still lying on the floor. "The bastards," Koga spat. "They even left their warriors behind to rott."

"Do we take them anyways?" Kagome asked Sango.

Her friend hesitated, and said, "We'll fill up our carts with the soldiers of Lutaru first. If we have space, we'll see what we can do." _"Yes. Our first goal is to find as many Lutaru warriors we can find."_

They were easy to recognize too. Since blue was Lutaru's main color, they needed to find those who wore blue armour. Some of the men had to lift heavy blocks of stone to find remains. The only reason any of them could find any bodies at all was because of the sunlight. But even that was starting to fade.

Any news of survivors were reported to Kagome, and she'd report it to Sango. There weren't much, but those who survived the battle were immediatly sent back to Ando for medical treatement.

Kagome walked over the stones of what was once the wall surrounding and protecting the temple of Lutaru. She looked at the working men, then at the carts. There were still no reports about the recovery of the king's body. _"Did Lord Naraku take the king captive?" _she wondered. _"Or did they really kill him and hide the body...?"_

She gave her word to Bankotsu that she's find out what happened to the king. What if she wouldn't be able to...? "No," she told herself. "The emperor's out there somwhere. We'll find him." She refused to let a single spark of doubt into her thoughts.

She walked down the pile of stone and came into a halt when she stepped on something. It made a 'clang' noise. She picked up a green piece of armour worn for the arms. When she looked at the Furyoku clan's symbol - a green tornado -, a half-demon's face came into her mind. Her heart ached as she thought, _"Did Inuyasha kill people today too?"_

Even though they were in different kingdoms, Kagome and Inuyasha became friends when they met each other at the Gatherings. Gatherings were mettings of truce, when all four clans met every two months. At first, Inuyasha didn't seem very nice, but Kagome was able to see his good side, and they became good friends.

Never would she have thought he'd try to kill so many people.

_"He was following orders," _she said to herself. _"Lord Sesshomaru and Lord Naraku decided to invade, and he had no choice to follow his brother. That must be it. The Lord's orders must not be disobeyed, even if you don't to do whatever he says."_

She would know. She's been following Hamada's orders for four long years. Inuyasha was stuck with his brother for longer than that.

_"Still, how can Lord Sesshomaru accept to even work with Naraku?" _she thought. _"Even though he always has a pokerface and we can't tell what he's thinking about, he isn't stupid enough to help Yomi, is he?"_

"Miss Kagome!" the voice of a panther demon could be heard behind her back.

"What is it?"

He pointed at a big pack of gathered people and said, "We've found a survivor! She would like to speak to you!"

She narrowed her eyes. "In this case, wouldn't it be better to get Sango?"

"Yes, we've decided to bring you and Lady Sango to her!"

Kagome pushed through the big pack of demon blocking her way and saw a woman. Her pointy ears and long claws told her she was a demon. The miko kneeled down next to her and asked, "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine... thank you," the girl said as she tried to catch her breath. Kagome's eyes were questionning, and her voice was rasped as she explained, "I ran all the way... here to... tell you where the rest of us are."

She narrowed her eyes. "The rest of you?"

"Now that you mention it," Sango said as she appeared from next to them. "We found more pieces of armour than bodies. Do you mean some of the survivors of the Lutaru clan escaped to somewhere else?"

The demon nodded. "Some of us... went to hide in small villages. I suppose... the rest are with you..."

"Most of them, I suppose," Sango said. "But for others..." She shook her head.

The girl closed her eyes. "Yes. I know." She looked back up to the princess. "Tell me, is our prince in your hands?"

Kagome nodded. "Yes. His wounds weren't too severe, so he'll live through it."

She sighed, and a smile appeared on her face. "What a relief."

"What about Lord Hokotsu?" Sango asked. "Is he with you? We can't find him."

The smiled disappeared. She slowly shook her head. "We couldn't find our Lord. He may be in the forest, treating his own wounds, or he can be..." A tear rolled down her cheek.

Kagome looked away. So Bankotsu's father could be with those who have escaped or those who have died. There was no sure answer. She couldn't show up in front of Bankotsu and tell him that! _"What am I going to do...?" _She didn't want to disppoint him. He already feels so useless now that he's wounded. What will his reaction be when she tells him that his father disppeared?

The girl stood up and said, "I have to go back now. General Ryura will wonder if there's any trouble."

Sango nodded and gave her a small smile. "I'm glad there are others who have survived. Wouldn't it be best if you all came to our temple?"

"No, please, you've already done enough. And if two whole clans are in one, there will be more problems to deal with. And if our king is still in Lutaru, alive, we would like to search for him here."

The demon slayer seemed like she wanted to protest, but she respected this girl and her words. They've already lost so much. She did not want them to lose their freedom to do what they wanted either. "Very well."

A moment after the Lutaru girl left, someone yelled, "We've found another survivor!"

Kagome signaled Sango that she was going to take care of this and headed towards whoever called her. A wolf demon was sitting over an injured man. In his twenties, about.

His bald head told Kagome that he was a monk. Sure, a warrior could have been bald, but there was something about his face that told her he was a monk. The badge on his arm which had the symbol of a grey dragon also told her that he was of Lutaru.

She kneeled next to him and inspected his face. _"Only a small cut. And a light burn on his chest, but if he couldn't escape like the others, it's probably because someone knocked him out..."_

"Excuse me? Sir?" she waved her hand over his face. No reaction. "Sir?" she repeated. She wondered if this man was even alive. She brought her hand to his neck, and found his pulse. _"He's still alive, alright. All the survivors we've found here were consious... But I can't get a hold of him. And if someone really did knock him out, his head might have problems."_

"Get him to a cart," she ordered the wolf demon behind her. "And take him gently, his head may need to be checked."

"Yes, ma'am!" he took the monk with the help of another. Kagome watched them leave and thought, _"I'll take a look at that man myself when I return to Ando. That wound's something only Naoko or I should handle."_

And before they knew it, it was nightime. They lit up torches to see where they were going, and some soldiers decided to take a nap to keep their strength for afterwards. Or maybe they just got too lazy and went to sleep. Koga and Shuran stayed awake to orders their soldiers around.

Sango and Kagome were together, watching the wolf demons and panther demons work from a flying Kirara. They watched cat and wolf work together to get a corpse to a cart. "It's odd, don't you think?" Sango asked.

"What?"

"A wolf demon and a panther demon working together," her master said with a soft smile. "It's a rare sight."

"Yes, that's true," Kagome said softly as she watched Koga and Shuran talking to each other. She smiled. Her smile dropped when a few seconds later, an argument between them broke out. She couldn't make out what Koga was barking at Shuran for, but whatever it was, it made Shuran snap.

He was about to call upon his famous lighting, when Sango yelled out to them, "Hey, you two! Knock it off! It's dark, and we want to find as many people as we can!"

The two demons flinched under her gaze, glared at each other one last time, and got back to work, each grumbling about something incomprehensible. Sango sighed. "It's too bad that the only things that keeps them together are territory and loyalty. If they lived in different kingdoms and served a different emperor, they wouldn't hesitate to kill each other."

"Apparently, they still would kill each other if things went too far," Kagome said as she shook her head. And it was a good thing that wolf demons weren't the one rulling Ando too. If that were the case, Ando and Furyoku would be in war, four seasons per year. The fact that they were dogs and wolves were reason enough to be in battle. As she thought of the Furyoku tribe, Inuyasha's face came into her mind again.

_"Stop it!" _her yelled to herself. _"Don't think about him! It's only going to hurt me more!" _Little did she know, she had grown attached to the half-demon. And reminding herself that he might have killed so many people that day was more than what she could handle. _"My clan is in war with his now... I can't feel hurt by what he did!"_

"We haven't found Lord Hokotsu's body yet," Sango said in a sad tone.

That snapped her out of her thoughts. "What do you think happened to him?" Kagome asked.

Sango looked at the forest. "By what we know, he can be anywhere. He could have arrived at Ando without us knowing, or his body can still be under those debris. He can be lost in that forest, or with the other survivors of Lutaru. Or he could even have been kidnapped by the other clans. There are so many possibilities, and we can only start with one."

Kagome's eyes were filled with grief. How were they going to find the emperor's body? They couldn't spend the rest of their week searching for him in the forest, and they certainly cannot invade Yomi to find out if the king was in there or not!

_"What am I going to say to prince Bankotsu?" _she wondered again, for the tenth time that day. She promised him she's arrive with news of his father. She promised him, the prince of Lutaru. Perhaps she really shouldn't have promised him after all. _"No! I can't think that! A promise is a promise, and I couldn't keep it! What am I going to do?"_

"Are you thinking of prince Bankotsu?" Sango asked suddenly.

Kagome jumped and stared at her friend, surprise all over her face. The princess smiled. "Don't think I don't know that look. You're troubled, and the only thing I can imagine you're troubled about is him. You promised him in front of everyone you'd find his father."

The miko sighed. "That's it."

Her friend's grin widened. "You're right to worry about it," she started. "But if I were you, when we get back, I'd just tell him the truth."

Kagome retorted, "I-I wasn't about to lie to him!"

Sango ignored her. "Even though it's hard to tell him, telling the truth is better than lying, especially in this case. If he got his hopes up because you lied to him, and discovered later that we didn't find any trace of his father, he'd be furious. Worse than that, he may want you dead. And believe me, he has the power to do that."

Kagome couldn't see her master's face. Instead, she watched her brown hair flow gently in the wind. And it made sense that she knew more than her. After all, she was the princess of Ando.

"It looks like we'll have to take the bodies of the other soldiers another day," she suddenly said as she looked down.

The priestess gazed down at the carts, and tilted her head in question. There was enough space for every soldier they could find. _"Execpt... Oh." _The Furyoku and Yomi warriors. There weren't enough space for them.

"And if we don't hurry up soon, we'll be staying up for the whole night," she said as she looked up at the darkening sky.

"Don't you think some bodies will be turned to dust when we come back?" Kagome asked. "And with the scent of rotting corpses everywhere, I don't think any of our demons are going to be able to take it, and some slodiers need rest..."

Sango slowly shook her head, and when her eyes went down to the carts again, the priestess understood. There wasn't going to be a next time. Sango knew they won't be able to come back.

Kagome placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Let's go back. You should call the men off in then minutes. We've done enough work here."

She nodded. "I'll do that."

Lord Hokotsu was out of Kagome's mind for an instant. But her promise to Bankotsu came back like a freezing wave. And suddenly, she didn't seem to care that she made a promise to a prince. She didn't care that she might have to suffer the consequences for what she couldn't do.

All she knew was that she was going to have to be the one to break the news to Bankotsu. That his _father_, his only family member, had gone missing.

* * *

><p><strong>I find this much better than the first chapter, don't you think?<strong>

**Please, tell me what you like about this sotry, because I might add some more things to it to make it better! I'm not that good at writing either... so yeah.**

_**~FoxRain7~**_


	3. Chapter 3: I'm Sorry

**Just to let you know... I'm not planning on bringing Shippo into this story. I won't say that he won't be appearing at all, but the chances are low...**

**But of course, nobody really cares about that fox, so let's move on! :D**

* * *

><p><strong>Darker Than Night<strong>

**Chapter 3: I'm Sorry...**

Bankotsu looked up at the selling as Jinenji worked on his arm. It was quiet. Far too quiet for his liking. He was all alone in his own room, with only this giant next to him.

He turned his head to look out the window. He watched as carts of soldiers came in and out of the temple. Carts filled with his men. Carts filled with his _dead_ men.

For all he knew, a close friend can be in one of those carts. Jakotsu was safe, he saw Suikotsu earlier, and Hiten's snap at a doctor didn't escape his ears. But what about Manten, Hiten's brother? And Mukotsu, that old fart?

He wanted to scream out at those carts, tell those Ando demons to be careful with his comrades. His dead comrades. He knew it was no use. And everyone would think that he'd gone mad.

He didn't realise that his teeth were clentched because of the sight until Jinenji blocked his view. "Sir, looking there will not make anything better," the gentle half-demon said.

"Tch." Bankotsu turned his head the other way. He knew that looking at the bodies of his men wasn't very good for his mood. But he couldn't help it. What if his father was in there?

_"No," _he thought. _"They wouldn't put the Lord of a clan in a mere wooden cart. They'd bring him on the back of the fastest soldier they could find, or on something comfy. And when he'd arrive, people would be screaming downstairs."_

Yes, that was how it was going to be if they found Hokotsu. But so far, there was no sign of his arrival. Only bodies, bodies, and oh look, more bodies. It made Bankotsu sick.

It was unbelievable how many of his soldiers there were. Some were still hot, still alive. Others were cold and stinked of death. To think that that many soldiers lived in his tiny castle.

Lutaru's temple. How were they going to rebuild it? Last time he saw it, it was going down in flammes. It would take over two months, perhaps even half a year for them to rebuild it completly.

_"It's not like it's important right now," _he said to himself. _"I'll be staying here for four months whether my father's alive or not."_

But he couldn't help but think about the future. If his father really was alive, there would be more battles to come, and everything would go back to normal after they've killed Naraku. But if the Lord of Lutaru was dead, that was the end of it. Bankotsu would have to take care of the throne and the whole clan would be weak.

Bankotsu wasn't wise, strong, or even had experience when it came to leading people. Naraku would get what he wanted the most; a weak clan to conquer.

He clenched his fist. _"I won't allow that," _he growled to himself. _"Old man, you'd better to come back alive or you'll regret it. I'll go to the afterlife myself and beat the crap out of you if I have to."_

Then he thought how ridiculous the idea was. There was no afterlife. After death, that's it. Your existence disappears. There would be no way to bring his father banck unless he hires some scary witch. And bringing a zombie back was certainly not a good idea.

_"He'll be back. Whether it's in a few days on the next two months, he'll be back. That girl Kagome's going to tell me everything of what they found out."_

She was surely going to tell him everything, right? She seemed like the type of girl who wouldn't disobey orders. But then again, some servants aren't as kind as they seemed... But he couldn't be wrong. Kagome was going to tell him the truth. She promised him, after all.

_"Kagome, huh? Sango's servant..." _It was odd. She looked just like another woman, only in the Furyoku land... The one standing next to Inuyasha every single time. At first, he thought she was Kikyo. But if he looked closer, he could see the differences.

Kikyo had cold eyes. Her eyes would only warm up when she looked at Inuyasha. What was so great about that half-demon freak anyways? He was arrogant, selfish, loud, noisy... But then again, Bankotsu may be like that too. Both men were fighting whenever they saw each other.

Okay, back to Kikyo and Kagome.

Yes, Kagome's eyes were certainly much warmer. And prettier too. A young face was always better, he thought constantly. He would know. Looking at his reflection made him proud. With a face like his, he'd attrack any woman he liked.

The same would probably go for Kagome. She just needed a few more touches on this and that. Nothing too important.

Kikyo was as stiff as a twig. Her looks were probably the only things that attracted men to her. Her attitude? She always wanted the best for Inuyasha. She would even kill if she had to. If she could, she'd shoot an arrow at Bankotsu during Gatherings to stop him from attacking Inuyasha.

And as for Kagome's attitude... It was a simple teenager's attitude. Sometimes carefree, sometimes rebel, like him. But he wondered if it were like that for women. And then, he reminded himself that he didn't know her that well. He heard her voice, talked to her a few times, but that was it. He knew very little about her caracter, if not, nothing.

And apparently, the same went for Kikyo. Which meant that comparing the two girls was useless. He could have facepalmed if he could. _"It's at times like this I feel as stupid as Jakotsu."_

He heard the sound of someone mixing herbs and thought, _"Oh no."_ Whenever you were poisoned, we had to take the poison out of your body sooner or later. _"When they do take it out, it stings like hell."_

He stiffened when he heard Jineji say, "This may sting a little, sir."

_"A little, my ass, that what all you doctors say!" _he wanted to yell out. _"In the end, you end up hurting us even more, damn-"_

Suddenly, he felt the medicine being applied onto his wound, flinched, and closed his eyes. It was so cold it almost burned. But immediatly, the pain disappeared, and he opened an eye. No, the medicine was still there, nothing came off. He was surprised. Usually, the pain would have lastest a lot longer, but...

_"I get it," _he thought. _"Different lands, different herbs. That makes sense, I guess."_

"It's done. You may get up, sir," Jinenji said.

Bankotsu sat up and moved his arm. He still felt a light pain, though it wasn't strong enough to make him stiffen. The kind giant continued, "You shouldn't move it too much for the next day. The wound may open again. It should be much better tomorow."

The prince nodded. "Thank you."

"They're back!" someone yelled from outside. "Miss Sango has returned!"

Bankotsu rushed to get up, and looked outside the small window. He saw a huge cat demon in the sky and wondered if it was an enemy from Yomi. He froze in shock, but the sight of Sango riding on the cat made him relax. No, they weren't going to be attacked. Not yet.

He grabed his Banryuu lying on the side of his bed and was about to run out of the room, when Jinenji blocked his way. "Where are you going, sir?"

"Where do you think?" the prince asked as if it were obvious. "I need an answer from someone out there. And it's an answer I need immediatly."

Jinenji sighed. "If it is that important, I can go and ask someone if they've found the emperor. Word spreads fast during these times. You can't go out right now, Sir, you need rest."

"I know that!" he snapped. "But I need to hear the answer with my own ears, from that person only." He started walking out, the giant came in his way again.

"As your doctor, I cannot permit this. Sir, please understand."

Bankotsu glared at him. "Are you questionning me, the prince of Lutaru?"

This made the giant stiffen and lower his gaze. After a long moment, he stepped aside and let him through. Bankotsu acknowledged his desicion with a nod and ran off. _"It's at times like these I feel that my position is actually useful."_

When he arrived at the temple's entrance, more carts were coming. He recognised a few of his men - some he's only talked to once -, but no one who held a big place in his heart. For example, his father.

His heart beat faster as he searched for Kagome. _"Where is she? Is she in the back...?"_

"Prince Bankotsu."

He turned around and saw the emperor of Ando. He didn't have a very relieved expressionon his face. That was a bad sign. "Where is she?" he immediatly asked.

"She came with Sango," he replied monotonely. "Prince Bankotsu-"

"I don't want to hear it!" he snapped. "I want to hear to news from her. I don't want to hear some rumour! Where is she? Inside?" he demanded.

The emperor frowned, hesitating whether he should tell him or not. "She said she had a survivor to check on in the medical section-"

Bankotsu ran away before he could finish what he was saying. Some Ando soldiers had to make way for the prince to run by. Ando warriors who were lying in the carts to rest hopped right off with worried eyes when they saw him.

Bankotsu tried not to look inside the carts. He wouldn't see his father there. And that expression the king had on his face... That worried gaze... It made his heart pound. _"No way. No way, my old man wouldn't die so easily."_

He stormed into the medical room. "Kagome!" he yelled.

Heads turned to look at him in shock. The doctors stared in alarm, wondering what kind of stupid doctor would let the prince out with an injured, not to mention poisoned, arm.

"You... are looking for Kagome?" a woman asked.

"Yes, yes, Sango's servant! Where is she?" he asked in a rush. He's been repeating that question for so long now. _"Where the hell is she?"_

"Turn to your right over there," she indicated with her finger. "Continue straight and go inside the second door with a red spot on it. That's where survivors with a special injury stays at."

"Thank you," he said with a nod. The doctors and soldiers watched as the prince left.

~O*O~

Kagome was grateful to Naoko for giving her a private room with her patient. It would require much concentration to try to see what the problem was. The monk's head was already placed on soft wolf fur. Though it wasn't the best, it was apparently the only thing they could find that was soft. The rest was already being used.

She pressed some water onto his head to clean in up. Then, she passed her hand over it, checking for any bumps. Oddly, she only found one, and it wasn't very big either. _"It should take a lot more than just this to knock a man out." _She shrugged. _"Maybe... he hasn't worked out very much." _She highly doubted it though. Monks were supposed to be able to take an injury like this.

The man groaned and Kagome removed her hand. "S... sir?" she said gently.

Slowly, the man's eyes opened. He blinked once, and twice. He groaned again. "Sir?" she repeated, more clearly.

He looked at her. "Who... who..."

"My name's Kagome," she answered. "The battle's over. You're in the medical station of Ando. Everything's fine now." _"I wish I could say that to Prince Bankotsu," _she thought with regret. She prayed that she would't see him until the next day. She still wasn't ready to face him...

"... I see," the man said. He tried to sit up.

"Wait, you musn't!" Kagome gently pushed him back down. "Your head..."

"Actually, now that you mention it, it does hurt..." he groaned. He smiled at her. "My name is Renkotsu. I work with fire and cannons."

"Fire and cannons?" she asked, confused. "But that robe..."

He nodded. "Yes, I was a monk not long ago. It explains the bald head, doesn't it?" he smirked. "But my interest in different weapons has changed." He paused. "I suppose I have to stay here for a while?"

She nodded. "That's right. I'm sorry, but it's for your best."

"Yes, I know." He sighed. "Tell me, is Prince Bankotsu...?"

"Yes, he's still alive," she replied with a bigger smile. "He's being treated by one of our best doctors."

"What a relief. At least our prince is alive."

She stiffened and a horrible feeling shot through her body. "What do you mean 'at least'...?"

He bowed his head. "Lord Hokotsu was shot down by an enemy. And after that... I suppose I blacked out. I don't know what happened to him... But that wound..." He shivered. "His chest was pierced."

Kagome froze. _"The king of a kingdom...? No way... He couldn't have been pierced..." _Now she was even more scared to face Bankotsu. There were certainly other witnesses of Lord Hokotsu's chest being pierced. What if Bankotsu knew of that...?

"Miss Kagome? You're getting pale... Are you okay...?"

Kagome shook her head and wiped the cold sweat on her forehead. "It's... nothing. I'm... just tired from all the other patients I've seen." She lied. Checking on him was the first thing she did when she arrived.

"Then you can tell me what to do and leave. Please, I don't want to cause you any trouble," he insisted.

She stood up slowly. "I... I think I'll do that. All you need right now is rest. I'll ask my friend to check on you later..."

"Thank you."

Kagome gave him a nervous smile and walked out the room. She walked a few steps to the main medical station, and lied against the wall. _"What am I going to do...? Bankotsu..."_

"Hey!"

She froze. She slowly turned her head. Bankotsu was there, trying to catch his breath from running. And his expression was desperate for answers.

~O*O~

"You... you've got news for me, right?" he asked, still breathless.

Kagome seemed shocked. But not happy to see him. That wasn't a good sign either. Wouldn't she be overjoyed if... _"No! Don't think about it!" _he screamed to himself. _"Don't jump to conclusions!"_

She nodded, but didn't say a word.

"Is... he...?" He didn't dare finish his sentence.

She bowed her head and looked away. His heart stopped beating for a moment. _"No." _But instead of confirming what he thought, she got off the wall and said monotonely, just like the emperor, "Follow me, please."

His grip on Banryuu tightened, and he followed her. He didn't see where he was going. He only followed her footsteps, on the floor. Suddenly, they weren't on the wooden floor anymore. They were on the grass. When he looked up, he was still surrounded by the walls of the temple, however, there was no roof. The sky was right above his head. _"Are we in... and indoor-yard? So I'm at the heart of the castle..."_ **(A/N: If this confuses you, there's a message at the end of the chapter!)**

He looked around at the people walking in the hallways and met some of their questioning gazes. Why would a prince be there with a servant? Surely, the moon was beautiful that night, yes, but why...?

In a few seconds, the place was deserted. He and Kagome were left alone.

Kagome had stopped walking a long time ago. She finally faced him. "Bankotsu, sir..."

He looked at her eyes, and didn't look anywhere else. "What did I say?" he said with a small smirk. "You don't need to call me 'sir'."

She didn't reply. She gazed at the cherry tree next to her. He followed her stare. The tree's buds were still small, and not many flowers were in bloom. But in the dark of the night, for some odd reason, it looked beautiful.

"In the sun, it looks so much more beautiful," Kagome suddenly commented. "Sango and I planted it on the day we met. It grew to be as great as our friendship, some people say."

Bankotsu only nodded. He wasn't in the mood to talk about plants, and surely, Kagome understood that, right?

She sighed. "This isn't making you feel any better, huh?"

"No, it isn't."

"Yeah, I thought so."

There was a long silence before she spoke again. "I'm sorry. We... couldn't find your father."

"Yeah... the clues were kinda obvious."

"But there's still hope!" she exclaimed. Bankotsu's eyes slightly widened. "We... we met a survivor... And she said that some people spread into the small villages of Lutaru to be treated... There was no sign that your father was with them, but..."

Bankotsu didn't respond. His first expression was hopeful, but it went back down to what it was before. So there was a chance that he was alive, but there was also a chance that he was dead. It was fifty-fifty.

Kagome wondered if she should tell him about the fatal blow an enemy inflected on his father. Perhaps he knew about it already. But if he didn't, and he learned about it later... she was going to regret it. Her voice sounded like a whisper, "Also... someone saw his chest being pierced."

"What?" He looked at her in disbelief.

"It's what the soldier I was treating told me. He saw an enemy pierce Lord Hokotsu's chest..."

"But not his heart, right?" he asked.

Kagome didn't answer, and Bankotsu realized that the chances of his father's death have just incressed. He turned his back to her and closed his eyes shut. _"Now what?" _he asked to no one in particular.

If his father really was dead, he'd have to take the throne. He barely knew how to order a group of men, he wasn't ready for this! Naraku and Sesshomaru's faces came in mind and he wondered desperatly, _"Why the hell did they have to attack today? Why couldn't it have been another time?" _

"Dammit!" he suddenly bursted as he planted Banryuu in the ground.

Kagome jumped, surprised. She saw his grip on his halberd was getting tighter and tighter, and for a moment, she was afraid that he'd knock her head clean off her shoulders. She took a small step back and braced herself. But she calmed down soon after. The poor prince was in shock. He couldn't be mad at her for bringing her bad news... could he?

And again, though it didn't appear on the outside, she was secretly waiting for an attack.

She wished she could have found some way to make him feel better. But when someone important to you dies, there isn't a way for them to feel better. Kagome has always been told by doctors that a wound to the heart cannot be treated. It can take a few days to recover, and sometimes, it never leaves.

_"I'm sorry." _That what she wanted to say. But it wouldn't help at all. It wouldn't even save her life if Bankotsu was planning to kill her. There was no way that her, a stranger - and a servant at that -, would be able to give him any comfort.

That when she realized that she couldn't do anything. She had nothing to tell him. There was no use in her staying there. Sometimes it was better for people to grieve on their own. So she said the only thing she could think of.

"I... I have to go check on other patients." As she walked past him, she whispered, "Forgive me."

And she didn't mean it to be excused.

~O*O~

"So I heard you were the one to find Prince Bankotsu, huh?" Sango asked as she took her armor off.

"Yeah," Kagome replied in an emotionless tone. She lied her bow and arrows against the wall and picked up some clothes from the floor. Her movements didn't have any energy in them; she seemed comepletly zoned out.

After ordering people around and looking for dead bodies, the two girls were exhausted. Next stop; bed. Kohaku was already sleeping in his own room, but Miroku was still out doing some work with the bodies. Kirara was curled up into a ball on Sango's bed.

Sango untied her hair, placed her hands on her hips, and asked suspiciouly, "Alright, what's going on? You've been like that ever since you've returned from the medical station. Did the Lutaru soldiers make you throw up or something?"

"It's nothing like that." She sighed. "Let's just drop it, okay?"

Her friend narrowed her eyes. She decided to bring a different subject to lighten up the mood. "How did you meet? Were you walking, and you just happened to meet him, or did you have to fight a demon to save him...?"

A small smile appeared on Kagome's face, ad she stopped undressing. "Sango, fairytales like that don't happen in real life."

"Yes, but we're in an era where fairytales can happen, so spill it."

Kagome would have laughed if she weren't in such a depressing mood. "Let's just say that I though he was an enemy and I almost killed him... I think I scratched his face a little..."

"You WHAT?"

"I'm kidding, Sango. But I did think he was the enemy, so I stalked him. He thought I was an enemy too, so he was ready to fight. No one got hurt, don't worry. Since we were both hiding in trees and leaves, we couldn't see each other."

Sango tilted her head. "So how did you...?"

"I was hiding in the trees... And well, when he was below me, we were able to see each other. And then-"

She stopped because she didn't want to continue. But Sango heard what she said and insisted she continued. "And then...?"

Kagome blushed and looked away. "I... It's nothing! Forget it."

Her friend smiled. "Something happened, huh? Come on... Tell me, tell me, tell me!"

She blushed even harder and looked at the armor she held in her hand. "Like I said, we were hiding in the forest... Well, I was in a tree, waiting for him to come below, and he was on the ground. And when we met, I was so surprised that I..." She paused for a long while, and Sango urged her to continue. "I fell on him," the miko blurted out.

Her friend blinked once, then twice. "You... fell on him."

She nodded.

"He didn't feel like killing you at all? After all, if you fell on him, he must've bee hurt-"

"No, when I fell on him, my chest was in his face."

Sango stared at her friend for a long time. And she bursted out laughing. Her laugh echoed clearly in the hallways, and Kagome waited for Hamada to arrive and ask what was going on. Thankfully, she never came. But Sango was still laughing her ass off.

"I-It's not funny, okay?" Kagome retorted. "It... It just happened like that! Like - Poof! - and I was on him. I didn't realize he was looking at my boobs! It's not like I did it on purpose- Hey, Sango!"

"Oh, I'm sorry!" the princess apologized as she continued laughing. "It's just that... something like that doesn't happen everyday..."

"Of course it doesn't, I don't meet a prince from a different land every week, you know! But this isn't something to laugh about either, Sango! Hey- stop it!" Kagome groaned. "I knew I shouldn't have told you."

"Okay, okay..." Sango got back up, her chest heaving. "Whew... Deep breathing... Ehahaha... No... Keep calm, whew. Okay. All better now. Sorry, Kagome, it was just so... unexpected."

"Of course it was. But I didn't expect you to laugh your ass off."

"Ehehe... Sorry."

Kagome continued with the blush still stuck to her cheeks, "Anyways, after that, I brought him here. And you know the rest, we went to Lutaru's temple and blablabla..."

"Did you meet him again?" Sango asked.

"What?"

"When we came back. I think he was searching for you. So? Did you guys meet again?" Kagome's expression fell, and Sango knew that was a bad sign. "You... told him the truth, right?"

"Of course I did!" Kagome exclaimed. "I wouldn't lie to anyone, unless they're enemies, and he is certainly not an enemy!"

Sango's eyes sadened. "... So? How... did he react?"

Kagome looked away and slowly shook her head. Thinking about the last time she saw Bankotsu... it made her heart ache. "I... don't want to talk about it."

Her friend didn't push her any further. She knew how it was hard for Kagome to take all this. She was such a kind girl, and to think that she had to break the news to him... "It's been a long night. Let's get some sleep."

The miko only nodded. "... Right."

~O*O~

Ever since the Lutaru Massacre - it's what people have decided to call it from now on -, the Ando temple was rather... gloomy. Sleeping in the same room as your ex-enemies was uncomfortable, especially when both groups were so different.

Lutaru demons and humans were rather arrogant, impatient, and didn't follow the rules quite often, while people of Ando were strict when it came to rules, and grew impatient if someone was annoying them. Which was exactly the case here. The medical center was full with Lutaru soldiers, as well as a few Ando warriors. Therefore, Ando soldiers were... bullied. They were told of how weak they were for the tiniest scratch, while, during the Lutaru Massacre, they weren't even fighting against anyone anyways. This caused major problems in the medical center, and really, nobody was completly cured of their scars.

Sango and Kagome only went back to Lutaru's temple once, and that was the day after the massacre. They were glad they were the only ones who went, because as soon as they stepped foot into the territory, it started reeking of dead bodies. They had to turn back a few minutes later. They told the emperor of everything they found the other night. And about Lord Hokotsu's disappearance. Sango's father's reply was a sad shake of the head.

Kagome continued to look after Renkotsu regularly. The bald man started getting better and better everyday. Their relationship grew as well. Listening to him explaining different things was interesting. When they went out, he's watch the flowers from the trees fall, and he'd come up with some random poem. At first, Kagome found it weird, but she got used to it, and realized that some of his poems were actually very nice.

Miroku was being a pervert as usual and continued to grope Sango when she was feeling down. That brought her spirits up again.

Kohaku stayed up late for a few nights to train. His targets were piles of material (like hay stacks, fur, stone, etc.) looking like Sesshomaru and Naraku. And naturally, he wasn't the only one taking joy out of the weak statues; Koga was very happy with himself whenever he made a Sesshomaru and Naraku doll blow up. One day, his wolf demons made him an Inuyasha version, and he made sure to rip every single piece of the dog's body.

Kagome tried avoiding Bankotsu at all costs.

And Bankotsu avoided her too.

She didn't know how to face him. After telling him the truth, she didn't dare face him again. It was cowardly of her, she knew, but she just couldn't talk to him again. She wanted to stay away from him. Looking at him again would only bring back horrible memories...

Bankotsu wasn't searching for her either. In fact, she brought bad memories to him too. He didn't bear any personal hatred towards her, but seeing her again would only remind him of his father's disappearance. Once, they crossed each other in a hallway, when Sango and Kagome were talking, and Bankotsu was off to Jakotsu's medical room. Sango nodded at him, and he nodded back. But the miko and the prince didn't even glance at each other.

This went on for a week.

When one day...

"A party?" Kohaku asked his father. "What for?"

"For our survivors," the emperor of Lutaru answered. "Lutaru has been having a hard time, and the atmosphere at the temple is certainly not the best... Everytime I visit the medical room, no one dares to speak to each other. Why is that...?" he wondered out loud.

A drop of sweat rolled down Sango's head, who was sitting next to her little brother. _"That's because they wouldn't dare argue in front of a Lord!" _

"Anyway..." the king went on, "This is in honour to Bankotsu, Lutaru's next head. Though Hokotsu may not be here, we have to remind everyone that their kingdom is still alive. There is still hope for Naraku's reign to end."

"Forgive me, my Lord, but..." Kagome said. "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"What do you mean?"

"Kagome's right," Miroku said as he stood up. "Wouldn't it seem odd if... we threw a party a week after the massacre? Some woud think we're crazy... Not only that, but there are still a few bodies to be completly laid to rest."

"Some men haven't completly recovered yet, either," Kagome added.

The emepror nodded, his expression serious. "You're right on that. However, I'm afraid that if the two clans don't trust each other, we will not grow any stronger. Let me say this," he raised a hand, "If the party does not go well tonight, we won't do it again. But if it gave us a chance to get to know each other, we may organise another.

"It will take place outside of our temple, in front of the main entrance. We'll gather all the food we need, and those who aren't completly healed yet aren't forced to come outside. However, they have to take care of their wounds. As soon as the horizon swallowed half of the sun, I want everyone outside, and Bankotsu by my side."

The expression he had told everyone that he wouldn't change his mind. Kagome, Miroku, Sango and Kohaku nodded once and walked out of the room. Sango's father told some servants to spread the word, and within an hour, everyone knew about the festival.

And all the preparations were finished by sunset.

After Bankotsu had finished his small speach, everyone did as they pleased. Most demons went running for the food, while the humans simply talked. At first, everyone felt rather uncomfortable, but the tension in the air relaxed after a while.

Kagome had seperated from Sango to go take a look in the medical station. When everything seemed fine, she took a look outside, that is, at the very heart of the temple, and not where everyone else was.

There were very few people walking around inside. She was all alone in that small-indoor-yard. When she looked up ahead, the cheery tree she and Sango had planted when they were kids was there. Next to it, the buds of a sakura tree were gently dancing in the wind.

She smiled. _"If only if things were as peaceful as this..."_

"Miss Kagome."

She turned around at the familiar voice and smiled. "Oh, hello, Renkotsu."

The man walked up next to her. "Why are you not outside with everyone else? Surely, you'd rather stay by your master's side and talk with some of our soldiers. I'm sure it wouldn't be too hard to make friends. You're a very kind woman, not to mention beautiful."

She smiled warmly. "Thank you." She looked at the two trees. "Usually, yes, I would talk to people at times like these. But watching the trees shining in the moonlight is also very nice."

He nodded. "I see what you mean." He walked towards the sakura tree and touches one of its branches. "Beauties like these don't last very long. Plants need the light of the sun to survive. With light, flowers bloom and show off their beauty to the world. But darkness and cold swallows them soon, leaving them to die."

"But they come back a year later," Kagome pointed out. "I've watched this cheery tree grow for as long as I can remember." She ran her fingers over the bark of the tree. "Every year, flowers bloom. And later, cherries are born. Even if their life is short, they shine in many ways."

Renkotsu had a small grin. "I suppose so."

"Renkotsu!"

Kagome whipped around to the familiar voice, and the fire user slowly turned around. Her eyes wide with shock, her breath was caught in her throat as she saw Bankotsu's enraged eyes. He was glaring at them from the second floor.

But his furious gaze wasn't directed towards her. Kagome looked at Renkotsu, who was behind her. He was smiling, but it wasn't smile he'd always shown her, the one full of warmth. It was a malicious grin. _"What's going on?" _

"It's been a while, Bankotsu. How have you been doing?" he asked smugly.

The bald man took a step closer to Kagome, who was still confused with what was going on.

This made the prince snap. "You bastard, get away from her!"

Before she knew it, Bankotsu had jumped down from the second floor, was by her side, and Renkotsu was far behind her. And she saw a bit of red liquid flowing from her side, staining her kimono.

* * *

><p><strong>First, the temple. Please forgive my pathetic way of decribing things. To make things simple... the temple is like a plain rectangle you'd draw on a paper. The line would be the walls, and the huge space inside would be heart of the castle... I hope I did not get anyone else confused by explaining you this. If I did, yet again, please forgive me. :(<strong>

**Second; I'm very grateful for your reviews :) Though there may not be much... Thank you! :D I'll try to update as soon as possible.**

**_~FoxRain7~_**


	4. Chapter 4: The Traitor

**I'm sorry it took me so long to update... But I hope the wait was worth it!**

* * *

><p><strong>Darker Than Night<strong>

**Chapter 4: The Traitor**

Kagome's hand slowly went down to her side. Her eyes windened in shock as she felt the warm blood run down her fingers. Her hand trembled. It took her a while for her mind to register what was happening.

Her gaze shifted from Renkotsu to the prince of Lutaru. Suddenly, purple tattooed arrows appeared on Renkotsu's face. She didn't understand. _"What's going on? They're in the same clan, so why is..." _

Her heart skipped a beat when se met Bankotsu's concerned eyes. She watched his lips move slowly, but she couldn't hear a thing, everything sounded blurred. She suddenly snapped back to reality and stuttered, "E-eh? I-I'm sorry, I didn't hear anything..."

"Idiot, you shouldn't be sorry about that!" his tone was harsh, but it was obvious that he was worried about her. "You're not hurt, are you? He didn't do anything while I was gone?"

He made that sound like he was ment to be by her side. But she pushed that thought aside and said, "I'm... I'm... not hurt..."

But she wasn't fooling anyone. Bankotsu saw her fingers stained in red. Then, his gaze went to her side, and saw the blood oozing out of her kimono. His jaw clentched and his glared at Renkotsu, furious. "Bastard... You were planning to kill her?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Renkotsu replied, his expression cool, and his black eyes full of malice.

Bankotsu held his blade up and pointed it at the bald man. "Let's settle this here and now. I want to get rid of you as soon as possible."

"Now, now, wouldn't people think that Lutaru's next heir would be very cruel to kill an innocent man? And at a party congratulating Lutaru of surviving the attack, at that. It'd bring a bad reputation."

"Innocent, my ass!" His eyes flared with anger. "You're anything but innocent. I thought they should have killed you by now."

"As you can see, they didn't," Renkotsu smirked. "You see, we're thinking of our next victim..."

Bankotsu snapped. "Traitor!"

He launched himself at the other man. Kagome stood back, confused. Her head spun as she watched the men fight. Bankotsu was on the offensive, and Renkotsu just dodged. The teenager seemed furious, and the older man seemed to enjoy watching him missing his every attack. _"I... I don't get it..."_

She certainly didn't want any of those men getting themselves killed, or having the beautiful Ando indoor-yard destroyed, for that matter. She didn't want any of them to die until she got answers. So she did the one thing she could do. "You... You have to stop!"

The stubborn men didn't listen. So louder, she yelled, "STOP!"

Oddly, Renkotsu was the one to step back from the battle. He took a huge backward jump, placing distance between him and the prince. "You should listen to her, Bankotsu. You'll start attracting attention."

"Why, you..." he growled.

Renkotsu looked at the hallways above them and said, "We'll settle this some other time." He jumped back to the hallway behind him and said before disappearing, "A word of advice; I wouldn't focus all my attention on the enemy if I were you..."

"Come back here!" Bankotsu yelled after him. But the man had already left, leaving Kagome and Bankotsu in the yard, under the moonlight. It would be useless to go after him. There was a party, and people would wonder why Bankotsu was running around with his sword, his gaze furious. It would only cause trouble.

Kagome's eyes were still wide with shock, and her cest was heaving from yelling. She didn't believe that happened in front of her very eyes. She wished she didn't see it. She's never felt so confused in her life. Everything just happened so fast.

She watched Bankotsu's hand curl into a fist. She somehow knew what was going to happen next. She watched him drop to his knnes and punch the ground, releasing all his despair and fury into one blow. "Dammit!"

She was watching that scene again. The night she told him about his father... No matter how much she wanted to forget about it, it came back everytime she thought of Bankotsu. She didn't want to see him hurt again. Not after that night... This time, she wasn't going to run away from him. _"No. I'm not going to run away. Not when I can still help someone." _

When Bankotsu seemed to have calmed down, she walked a little closer to him. She reached out her hand to him, and said gently, "Bankotsu..."

He brought his head up and looked at her. He blinked twice, and he seemed to have came back to earth when he saw her hand. She was reaching for him with the blood-stained hand.

Kagome realised her mistake, and hid her hand under her other arm. Little did she know, she was also hiding the cut on her side, and she flinched. "... I..."

Bankotsu stood up and gently took off her hand. Her eyes went to his face. He was tired. No doubt from that fight, but also from what he's went through. And... why did he look so concerned for her? She didn't think a prince would worry much about a servant...

"Is there... anywhere we can go to take care of your wound?" he asked.

She nodded. "Y... yes..."

In took them a minute to get a good room where they could be alone. Kagome grabbed the medicine she thought she could have needed. When came the time to observe the wound, she told Bankotsu to go out for a moment.

"Just rip it open. I'll pay for it later," was his reply.

When Kagome was about to aply the medicine on the injury, Bankotsu insisted that he would do it.

"Don't rub to quickly," she said. "A little less rougher... Yeah, that's right, just like that."

Bankotsu saw her blush and asked, "What?"

"I'm not comfortable with giving orders to my superiors," she said as she looked away. And she added to herself, _"And I'm not used to having a hot guy take care of my wounds for me. What? HOT? Where did that come from?"_

She turned her head and gazed at his face. Now that she had taken a closer look at him, he was rather good-looking. Very charming. His blue eyes were like the ocean. So cool and fresh. She wanted to touch his hair, just to see how smoothe it was. If it weren't so dark, she would have probably noticed a lot more details on his face.

The corner of his lip curled into a small grin, and a light blush appeared on her face. "Like I said, I don't care about positions. Everyone's the same. I only look down on those who don't have good intentions. Who are weak in mind and will power."

She smiled softly . "It's a lot better than positions, I guess."

"Yeah. That's why most of my subordinates call me by my name." He looked at her. "I'd like you to call me 'Bankotsu' too."

Kagome nodded. "'Bankotsu'..."

Hearing her speak his name brought a small smirk to his lips. "That's more like it." There was a long moment of silence.

And she spoke again. "I don't understand... Can you explain to me... what happened?"

She could see that he didn't want to answer. But he sighed, and spoke anyways. "I suppose I can't hide it from you now that you've seen it..."

She waited for him to be ready to explain it all. After all, it must be complicated. "First, tell me what you know of Renkotsu. What were you doing over there with him? I thought you'd be with Sango."

"After the Massacre, I found him as one of the survivors... I decided to take care of him, and I got closer to him... I was walking around the temple tonight, and I met him in the yard. And you know the rest, you came in..."

"... I see." He shook his head. "You should have left him at the battlefield. I'm guessing his wound wasn't very deep either?"

She nodded and waited for his own explanation. "A long time ago, Renkotsu was a Lutaru soldier. He fought by my side, helped everyone in every single battle... But then..." His voice trembled as he tried to keep his temper steady. "An accident happened. He killed... somone in the name of Yomi. Someone important. I still remember like it was yesterday. That smile he had on his face when he said he was with Yomi. He's a traitor... one of the worst bastards you could ever think of..."

_"An accident?" _Kagome didn't dare ask. No doubt, it would only get him angrier.

He passed his hand through his hair to cool himself down. "I don't understand what's happening either. Either he was sent here by Yomi, or he was abandonned by them and left to die... Both are very good possibilities... But if his wound wasn't deep, then they could have left him here."

_"A spy?" _Kagome couldn't think of Renkotsu that way. After all what he's given her... After all the time she spent with him, the kind man she thought he was... No, there was no way all those smiles could have been fake.

Could Bankotsu have been mistaken? What if Renkotsu was a good guy? What if he really has been abandonned and decided to change his ways after he met her...?

"I guess the most problamatic situation would be if he's a spy for Yomi," Bankotsu supposed. "But if so, why would he have come here...? It's probably to eliminate me or to do something to Ando, or maybe even both-"

"Something to us?" Kagome asked. "Why?"

"Isn't it obvious? Lutaru and Ando have formed an alliance. It'd only be natural to go after one clan at a time. And who knows, Naraku might even be after Furyoku, their own allies. Ever since he took the throne, nothing's been right..."

"Should we tell the emperor about this? We can get rid of him right away. With your power, we can surely kick him out of here. And other Lutaru soldiers know that he's a traitor, right?" She hated talking about Renkotsu this way. But if he really meant trouble, she would have to get rid of him... Even if she really didn't think he was evil...

Bankotsu shook his head. "We can't. For one, this place is huge. If I told the emperor to look out for a single man, he'd think I'm going nuts. And even if he does send the word, Renkotsu's a master of disguise. You saw his tattooes disappear and come back. You might have already passed him by in the hallway without noticing that it was him. And Renkotsu isn't stupid. He wouldn't show himself so easily in front of me, or my soldiers. It would take forever to find him."

"Then... what are you going to do now?"

Bankotsu had finished spreading the medicine. Kagome handed him a small piece of cloth for him to wrap around her waist. But she did this step herself, and while she did, he said, "I can't do anything but wait for him to show up again." He looked into her eyes. "And since you know who he is now, you'll have to be on your guard too."

"Hm?" Why should I... Why would he be after me? It's not like I can tell on him."

"You know his identity. You know he's not one of us, and he knows you'll end up spilling it out to Sango or some other friend of yours." Bankotsu paused. Slowly, his clam expression transformed into a horrified one. His eyes were wide, and he wasn't staring at Kagome anymore. It was more like he was looking through her.

"What's wrong...?" Kagome asked.

"Forget about you being on your guard," he said as he grabbed her shoulders. He looked deep into her eyes, showing how serious his next words were going to be. "I'll stay next to you. Wherever you go, I follow, got it?"

Kagome was blushing. "Wha... Wha... What?"

Bankotsu shook her gently. "Think about it. You know everything. You migght talk about this to others. You have to be silenced, or his plans are ruined. Think about what he said back then. 'I wouldn't focus all my attention on the enemy if I were you.'"

The miko froze at the word 'silence', and tensed when she remembered those words. "He's... going to kill me?" she whispered.

"He's going to _try_, but he won't succeed," he growled. "I got you into this, and mark my words, I will not allow anyone to die because of me!" _"Especially not the girl one who saved my ass from the Massacre..." _he added to himself.

"He will be after you, but also after anyone who knows the secret," he continued.

Kagome's eyes widened. She couldn't even tell anyone about Renkotsu. And because Renkotsu can be anywhere, he'll immediatly know who she spoke to. Miroku, Kohaku, or Sango... She didn't doubt his abilities, and certainly didn't doubt his ability to kill, even if the opponent was a princess or a prince.

"I can't protect a ton of people at the same time," Bankotsu said. "You can't tell anyone. I'll tell this to Jakotsu, maybe even Hiten and Suikotsu, since they know who Renkotsu is and what his abilities are. That bastard's going to be more careful with us. But he isn't afraid to kill someone from Ando. He'll do whatever it takes to keep his plan into action."

His sky blue eyes was the only thing Kagome could see. She was scared, but she could tell that he trusted her, that he really didn't want anyone to die. He was just as afraid as her. In those pools of blue, she saw that he was begging her to him a favor, like she had did before. But she hadn't kept her promise last time.

_"No."_

"You can't tell anyone," he repeated gently. _"I can't allow her to die."_

"And I won't," she said frimly. "It's a promise."

_"And this time, it's a promise I can keep." _

~O*O~

"Ka-ome!" Sango yelled to her friend as the miko and the prince arrived at the party together. "Where were ya? Ya were like gone- like poof!- Ha, ha! Remember?"

Instantly, Miroku grabbed the bottle of sake Sango held in her hand from behind and took it away from the princess. "Sango, please, you're drunk, you shouldn't..."

"Eh?" Sango glared at the monk behind her. "It's not your job to take care of me, ya perverted monk! Why don't ya-hic!- go and flirt with some ugly girls and leave me alone?"

She grabbed the bottle back, ran to the highest place she could find, and yelled out to the world, "WE'RE GONNA PARTY TILL MORNIIIIIN'!"

And a big group of other drunks cheered for the princess.

Kagome stared at her friend with worried eyes, and glared at Miroku. "What did you do now, Miroku?"

The monk shook his hands innocently. "Wha- I didn't do anything! I swear! In fact, I was helping her avoid the kisses other men could have given her while you were gone-"

"You were flirting with girls, weren't you?" she demanded. "Sango doesn't get drunk unless she's upset, I know that better than anyone!"

Kohaku appeared behind his servant and sighed. "Miroku was 'talking' to some women... Then, some guy offered her some sake, and she took it. Sis started flirting with guys and Miroku was getting concerned. Then, when she started trying to kiss some guys, he snapped and tried to stop her..."

"I did it because Kagome wasn't here," Miroku insisted. "You should have been here to take care of her, so I thought everything was going to be fine..."

"Well, you still know I can't handle her when she's drunk, and even less when I'm surrounded by drunk men!" Without waiting for a reply, she ran up to Sango to stop her from getting naked. "Sango! Get a hold of yourself!"

Bankotsu chuckled. Interesting. So even goody-goody Ando could get drunk and naughty. He looked at the two people standing in front of him. He recognised Kohaku from the Gatherings, and the purple one seemed familiar.

The young kid noticed him, and gave him a small bow. "Hello, you must be Mister Bankotsu. I'm Kohaku, son of the emeperor."

Bankotsu smiled. "Don't worry, kid. You don't need to call me Mister, even if I'm older than you."

Kohaku and Miroku seemed to have been shocked when he spoke. They probably didn't expect him to talk like that. They might have thought that he was a wise, cool, brave leader, like his father. But no, he was just another teenager. _"Deal with it." _

"So this is how Sango is at parties..." He looked at the girl who was trying to get her servant drunk with her own liquor. Bankotsu chuckled.

"Yes, er... She's not in her best state right now..." Kohaku said as a drop of sweat rolled down his head.

"She's a lot better when she isn't drunk, to be more precised," Miroku added.

"I'm sure every woman is better off not being drunk," Bankotsu said. He tried to imagine Kagome drunk out of her mind. It probably wouldn't be a good idea. After all, she didn't seem afraid to yell at anyone...

"Bankotsu!"

He turned around to see Jakotsu running to him... With a bottle of liquor in his hand.

He froze and didn't know what to do. Last time Jakotsu was drunk... things didn't end up well. Having him drink was as bad a woman getting wasted. He took a step back. "Shit..."

"Mist... Bankotsu? What's wrong?" Kohaku asked.

"Big Bro!" Jakotsu called again. "Look at what I found~!"

When Bankotsu looked again, a man was being dragged by Jakotsu. _"Oh, shit." _"Jakotsu, what the hell did you do?"

"Leggo of me!" the man under the gay guy choked out.

"Isn't he sexy?" Jakotsu asked when he reached his friend.

"Jakotsu," Bankotsu said through gritted teeth. "Put. That. Guy. Down. No, I don't care if you want to cut his head off, put him down. I don't want anyone dead tonight. And no, he does not look sexy from my point of view."

"Dammit, there you are!"

When he looked up, he found Hiten flying high in the sky with his little wheels. The thunder demon landed next to the prince of Lutaru and scowled at Jakotsu. "I told you not to drink too much!"

Bankotsu could hear a small swirl at the end of the sentence when his subordinate spoke. Hiten must have drank some sake too. Only, not enough for him to lose his mind.

"But it's fun~!" Jakotsu replied as he spun around. "Look, there's a little star there, and oh, look! A hot guy right there..."

Hiten, he too, being a little drunk anyways, looked at where his friend was pointing and asked, "Where...? Oh, that one? That guy's ugly as shit! Can't you tell who's good-looking and who isn't when you're drunk?"

"Of course, I can!" Jakotsu snapped. "Look, I can tell that's a woman..."

Kohaku and Miroku watched the odd people of Lutaru have fun... their own way. They wondered if they were always like this, or if this was a first because they drank Ando sake... And they hoped it was the second option.

The monk froze when Jakosu looked his way. The cross-dresser smiled and walked towards him. Afraid of whatever he was oing to do to him, Miroku backed away at every step.

"Hey! You're not half-bad yourself."

"Wha... What are you talking about?" Miroku was getting creeped out.

"Oh, come on... I'm sure we can have a good time..."

"A... good time...?" Jakotsu's picked up the pace, and Miroku realised that he really didn't want to talk to a guy like that. "L-look, I'm not interested in other men, so don't... Hey! Wha-what are you doing! No, don't take your clothes off! Ahhhhh!"

And he ran off, Jakotsu on his heels.

Kohaku stood where he was, even if he was worried for his servant.

"Oh, don't worry, Jakotsu won't kill him," Bankotsu reassured. "He's too drunk of be able to use his sword."

"We're back!" Kagome was huffing and puffing by the time she reached Kohaku. She was dragging Sango by her hand, but it was incredibly hard to keep her friend on her feet. She looked around. "Hey, where did Miroku go?"

"Probably somewhere flirting with girls," Sango muttered as she came next to her friend.

Kohaku shook his head. "Someone was chasing after him."

Bankotsu chuckled. "Jakotsu gets heated up when he sees a good-looking guy, ya know?"

Kagome tilted her head and frowned. Jakotsu? _"Who's he?" _Somehow, she didn't want to know. "Is everything going to be okay?"

He shrugged. "Meh. Depends. If Jakotsu isn't completly drunk, he'll hold back..."

"... Hold... back... what?"

"Oh, well, you see, Jakotsu likes to-"

"Bankotsu," the thunder demon suddenly warned. "Not a good idea to tell them everything."

The prince chuckled. "Okay, but letting them figure it out on their own isn't a good idea..."

"Hey!" Sango exclaimed as she walked up to him. Bankotsu took a step back and kept away from her face because of the smell of sake. "So you're the prince, eh...? You don't seem that tough to me."

As Kagome saw the insulted expressions on Hiten and Bankotsu's faces, she immediatly turned her friend away from the prince and stuttered quickly, "P-please, f-forgive her! She definitley can't control herself when she's drunk. You know, what crazy things people can imagine, hahaha! - Sango, quit pulling on my hair! - Anyway, I should probably get her to-"

"Hm." Hiten got closer to Kagome and observed her well. The miko could only blink, wondering what he was doing. Finally, a smirk appeared on his lips. "You have a pretty little face there."

"Huh?"

"You're the princess' servant, right?" the demon asked. He shook his head. "Tsk, tsk. With a beauty like yours, you should deserve higher ranking. Nobles would go crazy over you."

That was all it took to make her blush. She had been praised many times by men for her beauty, but she never really knew why. She thought that it was always because they wanted to cheer her up, a poor maid. This time, she wasn't sure if that were the case... or if it really was. "Um... Um..."

Hiten's grin widened as he watched her stutter. He took her chin in two fingers. "Of course, the same would go for demons like me. I wouldn't mind spending the rest of this party with someone like you."

"Hiten." Bankotsu raised a brow at his surbordinate. "I think you've flirted with her enough."

The cocky thunder demon pulled away from the priestess and chuckled. "You know I can't resist beautiful women, Bankotsu."

"Don't forget that flirting has its limits when you're drunk."

Kagome stared at the prince. She couldn't tell what he was thinking. Was he amused? Was he annoyed? Then again, why would he be annoyed? It's not like he would get jealous over something as little as her.

"Oh look!" Sango exclaimed again. "It's Kirara..."

"Kirara's inside, Sango," Kagome sighed. "And we should get you inside too. You don't want any trouble, do you?"

"What are ya talkin' about? Everyone's havin' fun! See?"

The miko shoved her friend. "Let's go."

Seeing as the girls were leaving, Bankotsu told Hiten, "You go drink something. I'll see you tomorow morning in your room. Tell everyone else."

"Huh?" Hiten narrowed his crimson red eyes. "Come on, there's still tons of hours left before it ends! Besides, you're the main guest of honour, you can't leave just like that!"

"I'm a prince, and I can. Don't worry, I'll be back in an hour or so." With that, he followed Sango and Kagome, hiding himself in the crowd, and nodding quickly to those who saluted him.

Before long, the two girls were in Sango's room, and Bankotsu was waiting for Kagome to come out at the end of the hallway. It took fifteen long minutes for Sango to fall asleep.

When the servant came of the room, her hair was messed up. She sighed as she slit the door shut and leaned against it. She heard a chuckle in the darkness of the hallway, and her heart skipped a beat. _"Renkotsu?" _

"Problems with the princess?" Bankotsu snikered as he walked up to her.

She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw him. "It's just you. You scared me... I thought you were Renkotsu."

His amused figure disappeared when he heard the traitor's name. "Yeah, about that. Did you forget about what I said?"

Kagome then remembered what he was supposed to do. What _she_ was supposed to do. "Oops. Sorry..."

"No harm done." He shrugged. "But we have to be ready next time. I have to follow wherever you go, and you follow wherever I go. It's for the best. We can't get someone hurt."

She nodded. "Alright."

"Right. So now you're going to show me to your room."

That took her off guard. "Eh?"

He rolled his eyes, as if it were obvious. "If I lose you, I have to search someplace, don't I? I already know you might be in the medical station, but when women want their alone time, they'd most likely be in their room, wouldn't they?"

A drop of sweat rolled down her head. "Um... Right..."

They went down another floor -more specifically, to the third floor-, turned to the right, to the left, and went straight. Kagome opened a door and entered the room. Bankotsu followed, and gazed at his surroundings.

On the wall hanged a bow and its arrows. They were clean, the tip of the arrows sharply carved to form a point. He guessed that those were the type of arrows she used on the day they met, and was glad that he hadn't been hit by one of them. the corner of the room, there was a closet, and bed sheets lied on top of it. He wanted to search in it, just to see what kind of clothes the rich Ando nobles had given her... No doubt very ugly dresses, he thought.

The room was only lit by the small light the transparent doors offered. The tatami floor creaked a little under his feet, which made the atmosphere rather gloomy, considering all the darkness. There was a small table at the other side of the room, probably to eat small meals like breakfast and such. Next to it lied a small bucket, probably for water.

Suddenly, a huge ray of light shinned through the doors. Then, it repeated again, only in blue, then in green. _"The fireworks, probably," _he guessed. His eyes widened as the room became brighter. In complete darkness, nobody would be impressed with what there was inside the room.

But when he could see everything, he was amazed. The walls had goden dragon patterns on them. The eyes of the dragons were a bloody-red, and their jaws were wide open, spiting either fire or ice, one against the other. The mix of icy blue and fire red sent sparkles above their heads. The dragons were on every wall of the room.

There were white flowers made of jade carved onto the old wooden closet. The details were so perfectly carved, it would be hard to distinguish a real flower from the fake ones.

A small red light caught his eye. He turned around and saw Kagome lighting a small fire in a fire place. Oddly, that small light was all it took to lighten up more than half of the room.

When he looked at it from closer, even the fireplace looked fancy, with the blue flamme patterns rising up from beneth it.

"Say... Does every room look like this?" Bankotsu asked.

"All the rooms on this floor, yes," Kagome answered. "It has its own fireplace that connects to the small layer seperating our ceiling from the floor above. Everyone has tatami floors, and-"

"No. I mean the decorations," he said as he passed his hand over one of the dragons on the wall. "They all have things like this? All these dragons, and things made of jade..."

"Oh, sure. But not everyone's the same, some have different patterns. For example, Koga's wall has wolves on it... Toran's have ice on them."

"Koga? You mean one of the generals?"

"Yes," she said with a smile. "See, this floor is where generals sleep."

"Then why are you-"

"I'm the servant of the princess, so I'm pretty good when it comes to fighting. Miroku's really good too, and servants can't stay far away from their master... So we sleep one floor below them.

"On the second floor lives those who are in training, visitors, doctors, and other people like me. People like me live on the second floor in case of invasion, or surprise attacks. They also recieve messages and transmits it to their general, who transmit it to the emperor.

"And last, the injured on the first floor. It makes them vulnerable to attacks, but we have a secret escape tunnel there that can help the wounded escape in case of ambush. Some doctors live there too, and so do children and their mothers."

He nodded. "Not a bad plan. It seems our temples are different. The strong ones live below, while the superiors and weak live on the last floors."

"But it surprised me, you know," he said. "I didn't think they'd give a servant the room of a general."

"Ando isn't cruel," Kagome said with a frown.

"I'm not saying it should be," he replied curtly. After a pause, he said, "You know where I'm staying, right?"

"I can always ask someone from the medical station. After all, I'm sure everyone knows where the prince of Lutaru is kept." She smiled.

"True," he snikered.

Making his way to the door, he asked, "Do you want to go back out? There's still a lot of time left before the party ends."

She seemed to hesitate, so he added, "People will be wondering where we are. Also, if you go you might get to know my men better." He smirked. "I'm sure you'll have fun. Besides, **I'm** here."

* * *

><p><strong>So, tell me, what do you think? I'm sorry the fight scene didn't last very long. I couldn't find much inspiration...<strong>

**I'll try to update more often, so until the next chapter, let's be patient. :)**

**Give me your opinion by reviewing! Thank you!**

**_~FoxRain7~_**


	5. Chapter 5: One Heck Of A Night

**Just to clear things before you get confused... captain = general. Which means that Koga is captain. And yes, I have no knowledge whatsoever when it comes to military positions. **

* * *

><p><strong>Darker Than Night<strong>

**Chapter 5: One Heck Of A Night**

Kagome and Bankotsu walked down the stairs to get back to the party.

On their way, there was a loud, "Do I **look** like a woman to you?" from outside.

Bankotsu groaned and picked up his pace. "Jakotsu... I hope he didn't do anything stupid again."

"Jakotsu?" Kagome asked. _"It's the second time I'm hearing that name, and I don't think Jakotsu's a very... 'normal' or 'pleasant' person." _

"He's my number one surbordinate, and my best friend," he explained. "We're practically blood brothers, and there's nothing that we don't know about each other. And if we keep any secrets, it's bound to come out eventually."

_"Oh."_ Kagome relaxed._ "If Bankotsu's that close with Jakotsu, then surely, there isn't anything weird about him... right?" _She couldn't help but compare that type of relationship with the one she had with Sango.

They were the best of friends, nothing could tear them apart. There was no secret between them, and even if there were, the other knows about it immediatly. For instance, the fact that Sango has had a crush on Miroku ever since Kagome had arrived to the temple. It was getting far too obvious after two months.

Sure, there were a few things that she didn't like about Sango, like how distant she'd be when she's upset. Or how drunk she'd get when she's upset, which was the case here, at the party.

So perhaps this Jakotsu guy had his flaws too...?

_"If he does, I'm kind of afraid of what they are..." _

The moment Bankotsu stepped out of the temple -into the party- he was greeted by his men, and a few drunk Ando people. Since they were in no rush, he and Kagome decided to stay and chat with them.

Apparently, the conversation was akward ever since the begining.

"Hey, so this is the girl they've been talking about?" a Lutaru demon asked as he took a closer look at Kagome. The miko could only blink in surprise. "Hm... Yup, it's got to be you. Though I didn't expect you to look so beautiful."

A few men chuckled, and Kagome looked down, her cheeks red of embarassement.

Bankotsu, suspicious, asked, "The 'girl'?"

"Yeah," another answered. "There's been a rumour about you hanging out with an Ando woman."

"We never would have expected that you'd find a girl so quickly," someone laughed. "We thought you were with Jakotsu, you know, to keep him away from the liquor... Who would have thought you wanted to flirt with someone so badly!"

"Haha, very funny." Bankotsu rolled his eyes. "I'll introduce her to you. Men, this is-"

"Kagome!" A human man walked up to her with a charming smile. "So it was you! Hah, I knew you'd find a guy that would interest you eventually!"

"Takeo!" Kagome snapped. "I-I'm just... showing him around! That's all I'm doing!"

"Sure, after a week of staying here, I'm sure the prince of Lutaru needs showing around." A few men chuckled with Takeo. His amber eyes glistened with amusement, and he fliped his brown hair to clear his view. "Sorry, sweetheart but you're not fooling anyone."

Without waiting for her to reply, he walked up to Bankotsu and gave him a small bow. "Takeo, captain of the archery unit." He grinned at Kagome. "I trained her ever since she arrived here."

"Trained _with_ me," she corrected. "And the only reason you're captain is because I'm a servant."

"And my life would also have been much worse if you were general. Every day would be a living hell."

"I'd like to hear you say that again, you little _snowflake_," Kagome growled as she glared daggers at him and clenched her fist.

"Try me, _hedgehog_," he retorted with an evil grin.

"You're a servant?" a Lutaru demon asked in disbelief.

Kagome didn't realised that the men were gossiping while she argued with Takeo. They were casting uneasy glanced at her, always looking away when her gaze landed on them. They probably didn't expect their prince to be hanging out with someone like her...

"Hey, hey," Bankotsu called and everyone calmed down. "Kagome here may be a servant, but you all know how I am. I don't care what position you are, wheter you be one of the greatest generals, or the most stupid prisoner. Besides," he smirked, "This lady here is too pretty for me to ignore."

Once again, the miko blushed and bowed her head. She would have protested if there weren't so many men around her. _"If only Sango was here with me right now... Or even Kohaku, I don't know, anyone I'm comfortable with!" _

Bankotsu took her hand and said, "Well, men, I have business I have to take care of, so make sure you have a good time here. Oh yeah, and if you see any generals, make sure to tell them that I want to see them tomorow morning, in my room."

"Sure, we'll try to remember that."

"If we're not drunk off our asses in a few minutes," someone whispered.

Bankotsu ignored the comment and walked away with Kagome. As they walked, people from both clans saluted him, though he didn't even bother acknowledging them. From time to time, he'd ask someone he knew where Jakotsu was. Most of the time, he'd get directions. And sometimes, the group of people would ask who 'this cute girl' was, and make a strange remark. For instance: "Are you plannning on taking her somwhere, Bankotsu? I think I know just the place... It's somewhere inside the temple, though..."

Yes, Kagome was smart enough to know that they had naughty minds, and she certainly did not want to know what they were thinking of.

After Bankotsu finished talking with a drunk soldier, she asked, "By the way, why are we looking for this... um... Jakotsu?"

He blinked. "Oh yeah, that's right! You weren't there when he arrived, were you?" He sighed. "Ya see... Jakotsu isn't someone who should be left alone when he's drunk... Even when he isn't, he's kinda... dangerous if he's around people, especially men. And since I'm the only one he actually seems to listen to, he's my responsibility."

Kagome tried to make a mental image of Jakotsu in her head. It didn't turn out well... Dangerous, with fangs and sharp teeth, wild eyes... She shivered. "Is he... a demon? By the way you describe him, he kinda sounds like an animal, doesn't he?"

Bankotsu laughed. "No, he's one hundred percent human, believe me. Look, you'll understand what I mean once you get to know him better, or at least when you see him."

"I don't think I'd like to see him..."

He laughed again, and started walking slower. "Yeah, I guess that's what anyone would think. I wouldn't know, though. I knew him ever since I was a kid, so I don't really remember my first impression of him. See, he wasn't really weird back then."

"Okay, now I'm getting concerned," she said apprehensively. She turned her head to her left, and to her right. That was when she saw Kohaku walking towards her. "Kohaku!"

"Hi, Kagome, Bankotsu," he nodded to the two. "How's the party? No problems?"

"I could ask that to you," Bankotsu spoke. "Where's your servant? Did you find him?"

Kohaku shook his head. "No. But he's probably okay. Either he ran away from that... friend of yours and went to flirt with women, or... he went inside to take a nap. Though I doubt he'd do that, because his two favorite things to do in this world are flirting and groping women."

"Now, now, by the way you describe him, he sounds like an animal," Bankotsu said as he snickered at Kagome. She giggled, and Kohaku raised a brow, wondering why they'd be laughing like that.

Then, an idea came to mind. He smiled and asked, "So what are you two doing together?"

_"Not Kohaku too!" _Kagome cried in her head. _"I'm starting to wish that we should have went for the option 'stay on your guard'. Now everyone's getting the wrong idea!" _

She didn't expect Bankotsu to throw his arm over her shoulder. He brought her closer and explained, "Well, since Kagome was going to bring Sango up to her room, I figured I could accompany them and learn more about them. You know, the women here are very interesting."

Seeing as Bankotsu might have had the same interests as Miroku, Kohaku shut up and changed the subject. "Right, well, let me know if you see Miroku." He nodded to them, and walked away to other soldiers of Ando.

"Well, he left quite quickly," the prince said with a chuckle. "The innocent type, eh?"

"You can't blame him," Kagome mumbled as she tried to shake his arm off her. "He... hasn't met a lot of girls of his age."

When he saw her cheeks grow light pink, he smirked, "And you haven't met a lot of men of your age?"

"Maybe not of my age, but I know enough to know who's a pervert and who's not!" she protested.

He raised a brow. "Are you sure about that?"

Just then, she felt something rubbing her behind. She also realized that Bankotsu's arm was not on her shoulders anymore. She stiffened, and growled, "Do I have the permission to slap you?"

He smirked, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "You do not~"

"Then can I push you?"

"Nope. It can get you into trouble."

"I thought you didn't care about positions!"

"Yes, but that doesn't mean I can't take advantage of it~" He continued rubbing her bottom.

"That's it!" Kagome turned to face him, and also made sure that he stopped gropping her. "You... you..."

"Looks like you still can't tell who's a pervert or not," he chuckled. "Maybe you haven't met enough men in your life. After all, some have really good masks. Take me, for example."

_"I can't believe this,"_ she thought. _"The prince of a land has the same insterests as Miroku!" _

"You probably didn't think I was this immature, perverted, rascal of a prince when you met me, right?" he continued.

She thought back to the first time they met and mumbled, "Well... I guess I should have had a hunch on you being a pervert..." He did look at her chest and enjoyed it, after all.

Bankotsu blinked, and laughed. "Really, I should have seen that one coming!"

Kagome smiled. Seeing him happy made her a little warm inside. After watching him fall because of the bad news of his father, it was nice to see him up and going. Taking a closer look at his laughing face, she realized that he looked quite charming, compared to the other men she met before. She couldn't quite tell what it was that made him looked better... His face, or perhaps his eyes...?

"Hey! Bankotsu!"

Kagome looked over his shoulder and searched for the one who called him. And she spotted someone running towards them. Her face twisted in disgust as she couldn't tell if it was a woman... or a man.

Then, she took a look at the person's chest and realized that it was a man. _"But he's... wearing women's clothing?" _

If this was the 'Jakotsu' they were looking for, she wished she had stayed inside.

"Oh, hey, Jakotsu! I was lookin-" Bankotsu didn't have the time to turn around before his friend fell on him. He stumbled and...

... landed on top of Kagome.

The crowd around them was silent. No doubt, Jakotsu caught everyone's attention. Bankotsu and Kagome were still for a long time, and it was only after a looong moment that Bankotsu pulled away from her. He stood up comepletly, but Kagome sat up.

"S-sorry..." the prince stuttered. He reached for her with his hand. "Are you al-"

Kagome didn't wait any longer, and ran away into the temple. As she ran, some Ando men asked her where she was going, and others who have seen what happened teased her, but she didn't reply.

She had to get away from there as fast as she could.

When she got into her room, she slammed the door shut behind her, and immediatly started arranging her bed. She took off her kimono and got ready to sleep. _"Finish it all quickly. Forget anything happened. Forget what happened!" _

She filled her small bucket with water and washed her face and her hands. _"Everything will be fine tomorrow, everything will be fine tomorrow..." _

But looking at her reflection in the water, she knew that she wasn't going to be. After all, her face was still as red as a tomato.

~O*O~

_**The next morning...**_

Jakotsu stood outside Bankotsu's room and waited for the last of the guests to arrive. His foot shook impatiently, and his teeth were clenched in frustration. _"Dammit... How long am I supposed to wait out here?" _

He heard the sound of footsteps coming from the corner of the hallway and turned his head. The first thing he saw was light-purple hair, and he knew immediatly who it was. He nodded to the man. "Shishinki."

The demon nodded back. "Hello, Jakotsu. I was told we had a meeting here...?"

"Senior warriors and generals only," the cross-dresser replied. "Apparently, it's so serious it had to be this morning."

"Yeah. And we all needed a nap after last night," Shishinki yawned. "Let's go inside and get this over with."

Two seconds after sliding the doors open, the room fell silent. The guests looked at each other, exchanging nods and trying to guess what the other was thinking about the early meeting. They were all sitting down on the sides of a small table, the edge reserved for their prince.

Then, Bankotsu entered the room.

He sat down and spoke, "Sorry I had to call you so early."

"It's not like it's a big deal," Suikotsu grunted. "Our minds are just half-drunk, we haven't slept shit last night, and it's cold today, but sure, we don't mind coming here to see you."

Bankotsu chuckled. "I'll imagine you weren't sarcastic."

"But really, Big Brother, what's this about?" Jakotsu asked. "Did something happen last night that it couldn't wait?"

"Are you here to talk to us about the little servant you met?" Hiten teased. His brother Manten chuckled. "If you want some advice from your seniors, we wouldn't mind telling you a thing or two."

"If he wanted dating advice from men, then why would he invite me?" Abi, general of the bird demons, asked as she rolled her eyes.

"Can we not talk about this right now? Please?"

"Will you guys all shut up?" Shishinki growled. "I want to finish this fast so I can get back to talking with the emperor. Apparently, I've got a meeting with him too..."

The prince bowed his head in respect. "Thank you, Oh wise senior."

"I'm not that much of a senior, Bankotsu."

"Speaking of seniors, Ryuura was told to be with the others who escaped, right?" Kinumaru, the young leader of the bug demon troups asked as the small antenas on his head twitched.

"Yeah," Juura, the tiger demon of the Four War Gods, spoke. "Saw him running off with a bunch of his troups. I think Kyoura followed him after a tough against Sesshomaru."

"I was wondering why there weren't many of us here..." Bankotsu trailed off, and the room fell silent again. After a long moment, he said, "Let's hope they're all okay."

"With some of our generals gone, it'll be kinda hard to order the different troups around," Suikotsu said. "By the way, Bankotsu, have you thought about when we're going back to Lutaru to get the ones who escaped?"

Bankotu didn't say anything. "... I haven't really thought of it." He frowned. "But since my old man wanted me to stay here for two Gatherings, four months..." He sighed. "I suppose we'll have to respect that."

"But that's way too far away!" Jakotsu exclaimed. "Can't we go as soon as all of us have recovered?"

The leader shook his head. "No. You never know, some Yomi soldiers might be waiting for us there. In fact, they might be invading some of our villages as we speak..."

"That's the more reason we have to react now," Manten said as he slammed his fist on the table, and the loud boom echoed in the room. "Some of our family memebers are in danger."

"That's right," Abi said. "Though Yomi might not attack the villages directly, they can destroy the medical supplies, food, and burn forests full of prey. Everyone's going to end up starving to death. An indirect way to attack, and probably the worst way to suffer."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Hiten spoke. "Let's leave as soon as everyone's ready! And while we're at it, let's use our allies, we didn't come here for nothing!"

"Now hold on," Shishinki said calmly. "The Furyoku clan wouldn't let Yomi destroy us."

"Why would that be?" Kinumaru asked.

"You know how Furyoku is. They wouldn't allow other clans to be completly destroyed. See, I know Sesshomaru since he was tiny, and I even knew his father. And believe me, their main goal would be to feel superior to others. However, if there is only Ando to look down on, you clearly can't call that superiority. Also, it's not like they want to rule the world. I'm sure they must've been blackmailed to join Yomi."

"That may be reassuring," said Juura, "But nothing guarantees that Yomi won't attack on their own."

"Then it'll take more than Yomi to destroy what's left of our land," Bankotsu said firmly. "If our soldiers are staying in villages and protecting the people, then we have nothing to worry about. Never underestimate the power of Lutaru soldiers, because we're stronger when injured. Our will to fight grows stronger, and we fight till we breathe our last breath."

Hiten grinned. "That's something I can agree on." Manten grunted in agreement.

Suikotsu nodded. "Same here."

"Of course," Abi said. "Yomi can't fight another strong clan on its own. And besides, their demons are pathetic."

"Looks like everything's going to be fine," Juura said proudly. "Kyoura and Ryuura are two of our best generals. There's no way they're going to die."

Shishinki casted a glance at a Bankotsu, and the prince caught his eye. Though the demon didn't show it, he approuved of Bankotsu's actions and was proud. The teenager could almost hear him say, "Just what I'd expect of our next head."

Bankotsu blinked, grateful for the small praise from a senior, and said, "Now, let's discuss about what's really been bothering me."

All eyes fell on him, and he took a deep breath. "The traitor's back."

His men froze.

"Renkotsu?" Kinumaru asked.

"That can't be!" Hiten stood up and slamed his fist on the table, just as his brother did before. "Why is he here?"

"Sit down, Hiten," Suikotsu growled at the demon. "You'll wake up all of Ando if you go crazy." Then, to his leader, he said, "Bankotsu, what's all this about? You can't be serious?"

"Believe it or not, he is," the teen spoke.

"How? How did that _traitor_ enter Ando?" Abi demanded.

"The easiest way. Grabing a Lutaru emblem, sticking it on him, and have someone inflict an injury on him so that when Ando came to get us, he'd pass as a survivor," Bankotsu explained. "Ando has no idea of what he's done, nor who he is. And they've made a big mistake."

"Let's go kill him now while he's here!" Jakotsu exclaimed. "And if we can't find him, tell the emperor! We'll get everyone to search the temple and get rid of him once and for all!"

"Calm down, Jakotsu," Shishinki scolded. "You'll sound crazy if you told that to the emperor."

"Is he here to spy on us? To know our every move and to report it to Yomi?" Juura growled.

"It's a possiblility. But there's also a chance that he got kicked out of Yomi and was abandonned here," the prince said. "Either way, his presence is trouble."

"This is bad," Kinumaru said as he bit his lip. "Renkotsu will know immediatly if we tell something about him to the emperor, and run away. And already, after a week, he's gathered enough information about those who survived and those who didn't."

"We can't allow him to escape," Suikotsu spoke. "We can't allow a battle to happen so soon, and here of all places!"

"What do you want us to do, Bankotsu?" Shishinki asked. "We can't kill him, or it'll make Lutaru sound like savages to Ando, killing their 'own kind'. Renkotsu's got us cornered in this situation."

"... Not quite," Bankotsu replied. "Listen up. Though we won't be able to do anything right now, I want you to be on your guard. Don't let this pass out to anyone, especially to Ando people. Eventually, Renkotsu's going to show his face to me again, and that's when we'll know something's up. That something - a new battle - is going to happen.

"So," he continued. "To resume it all: train your asses off until that time comes, and watch your back. He might have brought other Yomi people in disguise with him. The night is Yomi's battlefield: they have the advantage. Don't let them kill you."

"Don't worry, no one's going to die here," Jakotsu said. "But it still frustrates me that we can't do anything about him..."

"I know. I'm pissed too, but we just have to wait."

"Is there anything else?" Shishinki asked. "Any other orders or news?"

"Right, one last," Bankotsu said. "There's one Ando woman who knows about Renkotsu."

"Let me guess, it's the one who hung out with you the other night?" Hiten asked with a small smirk. "I knew something was going on between you two. I was wondering why you was sticking around with her so much..."

"Yes, she's Sango's servant," Bankotsu answered, a little annoyed. "You'll all know how she looks like eventually. But she knows everything now, so if she comes up to you and tells you something, don't be shocked."

"You told her everything? Wow, I didn't think you'd go that far..." Abi snickered.

He sighed. "You don't understand. Renkotsu _attacked_ her. I had no choice."

Silence.

"He was about to _kill _an innocent woman?" Suikotsu growled. "The one who saved Bankotsu at the Massacre?"

"That guy's digging his own grave," Kinumaru sneered. "If she died last night, all of Lutaru would be in outrage. We would have had everyone search high and low for the murderer."

"I don't see why this is so important," Abi said casually. "She's just another woman."

"I don't think so," Hiten said. "By what I've heard, she's the servant of the princess here, right? It'd be a real shame to let her die like that. And it might have been part of Renkotsu's plan too."

Bankotsu stiffened. "If it was, then he would have had no trouble, if it weren't for me arriving at the scene of the crime. But it still wouldn't make sense... He could've killed her earlier, when she was treating his injuries."

"You know, I'm not surprised he would try to kill the one who saved him," Juura commented. "That bastard's so low he could even stab Naraku in the back if he could."

"What do you think is his plan in the first place?" Jakotsu asked. "He's probably a spy to search for information, but if he was going to kill that woman, then maybe he's got something else up his sleeve."

"But maybe he doesn't," Shishinki pointed out. "Maybe he wasn't planning on killing her until Bankotsu showed up and tried to stop him. By now, he's probably working out a strategy of some sort."

"Either way, so sum it all up, we all stay on our guard," Bankotsu said. "We know what Renkotsu can do. As soon as you know something about him, report it to me immediatly. Chances are he's going after Kagome because she knows too much. That's why I'll be staying with her."

"Ooh, our leader's taking advantage of this problem to get close to someone," Hiten smirked. Abi rolled her eyes, and Kinumaru closed his eyes to hide his annoyed expression. Suikotsu snickered lightly, and Jakotsu's lip curled in disgust. Shishinki remained calm and waited for Bankotsu to continue.

The teen ignored the comment and said, "So don't focus too much on her. Start training your troops. Get them to know Ando territory, take them out to small villages if you have to. If Ando generals or soldiers ask why you're going out tell them the truth: you need to train. It's as simple as that. Don't say anymore than 'training'. Understood?"

His men bowed their heads. "Sir."

One by one, each left Bankotsu's room. Abi left in a rush, and Kinumaru ran out a window and flew down to his troops with his paper-thin wings. Suikotsu and Juura walked out together, and Hiten seemed to have wanted to stay to chat a little more, but he left as well, Manten trailing after him. Shishinki and Jakotsu stayed behind.

"What is it?" the prince asked the senior. "I guess you've got something to say to me?"

"That's right," the demon nodded. "I want to meet you tomorow, here. We should discuss some things."

"Fine with me."

With that, Shishinki walked away and left the two friends together. His steps echoed in the hallway, and Jakotsu and Bankotsu waited him to leave completly. The prince stared at his friend.

"Why are you still here?"

"Ouch. That sounded like you _wanted_ me to leave. I don't have anything to do since I'm not a real commander, remember?"

Sigh. "I'm not saying that I want you to go away. Since I'm going to see Kagome, it'd only be best if you didn't come along. After all, she saw you when you were drunk, and believe me, you put up quite an act."

Jakotsu shrugged. "Whatever. Just make sure she doesn't do anything that'll danger us."

He raised a brow. "The fact that she's a woman doesn't make her stupid, you know. Abi's a woman, and she's general of our bird tribe."

"And she's a demon, don't forget," his gay friend precised. "Since she leads a pack of demons, she knows what to do. But women like that _girl_, and a servant at that can-"

Bankotsu stopped his friend. "Believe me, Jakotsu, I know what I'm going to do. I know I can trust her."

Jakotsu sighed. There was no point in telling his friend how women can get themselves killed in the most stupid ways sometimes... or get the people around them in danger. "Fine, whatever you say. But I think it'll be kinda hard to find her after last night, right? I mean, she ran away from you after you landed on her. What happened, anyways?"

Bankotsu froze. _"... Crap." _"Oh, nothing important," he replied. _"Nothing important, my ass..." _he thought right after.

"Then I guess you won't need my help to find her? You know where she is?"

"Sure... Sure I do." _"But it's not like I should barge into her room in the morning! Especially now..." _

"Then I'll see you later," Jakotsu said as he turned around. "Tell me everything at lunch, okay?"

"Don't worry, I won't forget!" _"Not that I'll have anything to say to him anyways... Maybe I should check on Kagome in the afternoon. I might shock her too much right now..." _

~O*O~

Kagome twisted the wet cloth and sighed. "I told not too drink at parties, this is what happens every time."

Sango groned as she sat up from the covers. "Yeah, yeah, and I should've put up a better show for the invited because I'm the princess and bla bla bla. And the first drink was forced down my throat, some guy insisted I drink some, and he shoved his bol right in my face!"

"Remind me to search for the guy who did that," Kagome said in amusement. "You're not fooling anyone, Sango."

"But it's true! Ask Kohaku, he saw it! I'm sure Miroku must've seen it too."

"Whatever you say." The miko handed the wet cloth to her friend, and Sango took it gratefully and pressed it to her forehead. Kirara, who was sitting next to her master, swished her two tails and mewed.

"Can you go get Kirara's food from the other room?" Sango asked. "I don't think I'll be able to get out of bed today."

"Don't be silly, you're strong enough to get back on your feet," Kagome said as she walked right into the small room next to Sango's sleeping place. "Well, it sure is dark in here. Are you sure another demon isn't living in here?"

Sango rolled her eyes. "It should be by your left."

The miko got onto her knees and searched to her left. When she felt something slimy, she clentched her teeth and grimaced. She searched further, and stopped when she felt some wood. "It's fish, right? In the wooden bucket?"

"That's right. Just take a few out, that's bucket huge enough to contain everything Kirara needs for an entire month!"

The demon cat mewed in delight and licked her lips, already tasting the fish in her little jaw.

"By the way, Kagome," Sango asked as her friend dumped a few fish into another smaller wooden bucket, "Rumours say the Lutaru prince and you have something going on. Actually, I remember seeing you with Bankotsu last night too-"

Kagome banged her head against the wall before she could finish her sentence. The huge bucket full of dead fish waddled, and it fell all over the servant. Luckily, she had time to stop it from completly spilling on her with her hands. Kagome was soaked from head to toe with freezinf fish slime. Her hair was ruined and she stinked.

"Kagome!" Sango seemed to have gotten better all of a sudden, and rushed to her friend's side. "Are you okay? Wha-what happened to you all of a sudden, I-"

A dead fish slipped down from the top of Kagome's head, and landed on her lap. She laughed nervously... "Hahaha... My... hand slipped?"

The princess sighed. "We'll talk about this later. I'll handle Kirara's food, you go wash yourself nice and well, because you're the one who's going to get sick if you don't get that slime off you."

"Alright." Kagome stood up, and wiped off the slime from her clothes with her hands. Sango helped her regain her sight by brushing everything away. Kirara helped herself to all the fresh fish she could before her master shooed her away.

"I'll go downstairs to get myself cleaned," Kagome said. "And I'll come back up as soon as I can."

"You've got that right." Sango smiled. Her friend was already in the hallway when she yelled, "You are going to explain to me what happened yesterday, whether you like it or not!"

Kagome heard every little word. And she desperately didn't want to tell her what happened, even if they were best friends. But orders were orders, and the truth will have to come out anyways.

Her face a deep scarlet, she gently brought her finger up to her lips and wondered if she'll ever forget the taste of what had touched them the other night...

* * *

><p><strong>Alright, now there are two OCs in this chapter:<strong>

**Takeo, one of Kagome's childhood friends, and Kinumaru, who will be described a little bit more in the next chapter.**

**Hope you liked it! :D**

**_~FoxRain7~_**


	6. Chapter 6: Chasing You

**I'm not dead! :D**

**First off, I thank you for your reviews! ^^**

**And second, I know, I'm not very good in grammar, verbs, etc. so I'll try to do better. Thanks for pointing it out, though ^^**

* * *

><p><strong>Darker Than Night<strong>

**Chapter 6: Chasing You**

Bankotsu walked down the dark hallway and headed for the dining room, where the cooks were making his breakfeast. A few days ago, they kept delivering it to his room, but he insisted that he'd go and get it himself, since waiting there and doing nothing wasn't much fun.

He observed the walls of the temple as he walked. They were so detailed... Did the people of Ando take their time to observe them everytime they passed by, or did they ignore them?

It was almost impossible to ignore them, to Bankotsu. The Lutaru temple's walls were dark, nothing too flashy. They'd use silver, stones, and rarely gold. Gold was rare in Lutaru... perhaps it was in Ando, as well. But it certainly didn't appear that way since almost all the patters in the walls were golden. _"Maybe they made some paint with something yellow, and mixed it with something dark..." _

He slowed down when he smelled the fish burning. As he continued walking, the smell of food filled the air. Meat, burning vegetables, mixed dishes... The smell was overwhelming. _"Even if it's been a week... I still haven't gotten used to the food here." _

Not that he didn't like it, though. It was just very different from the food he used to eat, the food of Lutaru's territory. For example, the fish weren't as salty, and the fruits weren't as juicy as his home's. He wasn't used to it.

_"I wonder how the others are handling the food," _he wondered as he thought of his generals, and a few famous soldiers. _"Kinumaru probably needs to get used to the fruits and vegetables... And since almost all the food here is mixed with others, it's hard to avoid what we don't like. But on the other hand, it tastes a lot better to the humans." _

_"I wonder what they prepared for me today..." _he thought as he slid the door open to the kitchen. "Hello? I'm kinda late today, sorry."

"Oh, no need to worry," an old lady walked up to him and smiled. "Your meal is still nice and hot, sir. Please, help yourself. Oh, and I made sure you could sit next to your friends as well."

"Friends?" Bankotsu blinked. "What friends are you-"

The woman led him to his little table. And at the table sat Hiten and Manten, munching on a well-cooked piece of meat. The thunder demons looked up at their prince, swallowed their last bite, and Hiten waved. "Yo."

Bankotsu grabbed Hiten by his collar and spoke as veins popped onto his head. "Why are you here, I thought you went to go tell your troops to go train! You're not supposed to be here, eating like a pig!"

Hiten grinned happily, "Hey, we didn't eat anything this morning because of the meeting, you can't blame us. We can't go to work on an empty stomac, Manten and I are demons, remember?"

"Which means that you have more endurance, stupid!"

"Excuse me," Manten asked a young man. "Can you bring our prince Bankotsu's breakfeast, please? You see, he's quite hungry."

As soon as he was finished talking, the man rushed. "O-of course! We'll bring it right now!"

All of the food was in front of Bankotsu in less than fifteen seconds. "Hey you two," he said as he watched the two gluttons fight over a cow's leg. "Shouldn't you treat these guys with respect?"

"We already are," Manten said casually, "If you listened, you heard me say 'please' and 'excuse me'."

"I know that, but you should let me do the talk for myself. They were already going to give me food."

"Speaking of which- Ah ha! I got it!" Hiten took a bite out of the cooked leg and spoke with his mouth full,"You should eat that before it gets cold. Or do you want us to test it for you, Oh Great Bankotsu?"

"I'm fine with this, thanks," Bankotsu grabbed a piece of sliced meat. He poked his chopsticks into the bol of vegetables and stuffed the whole thing inside his mouth.

"Hey, whoa, you're not showing a very good example of a prince right now," Hiten teased. "You should sit straighter, eat with your mouth closed, take a few in your mouth every time..."

"Screw that." He took another big bite out of the meat. "It's not like I care what they think of me anyways, even if it matters."

"By the way, shouldn't you be with that girl...? What was her name again...?" Hiten asked.

"Kagome? Oh yeah... Well... I had to eat too."

"Or are you afraid of facing her?" Manten asked with a smirk. "We saw her running away from you the other night, and even though we don't know what happened, it wasn't very pretty, was it?"

"Shut up," Bankotsu growled as he swallowed down the food. "I'm not running away from her."

"You know, if that were in a different context," Hiten chuckled, "You'd sound like an old married couple."

The teen groaned. "Why is it always like this when I'm talking to you?"

"Now, now, it's not all the time," Manten corrected. "Perhaps half of the time we spend together."

"Just finish up your food and leave already."

"Aw, come on, don't get depressed over a woman," Hiten laughed. "I'm sure that whatever you did to her, she'll forgive you. After all, she doesn't have much of a choice, does she?"

"She can forgive me, but never talk to me the same way she did before," Bankotsu sighed.

"Everything will be fine," the thunder demon assured him, "If it doesn't work out between you two, you can always tell me to take your place and look over her. I wouldn't mind, with a pretty girl like her." He smirked.

"Don't try," the prince said, trying to hide how annoyed he felt when his friend said that. "You know, if that were in a different context, you'd sound like you were trying to steal my girl."

"Pshhhh, like I'd do that. You'd kill me in ten seconds flat."

"If you're not on your guard," Bankotsu corrected.

"If I'm not on my guard."

"That's exactly what'll happen if you don't be careful," the teenager said more seriously.

"Yes, don't worry, we know," Manten grunted. "But Hiten and I will always be side by side, so there's no need to worry about death. The traitor cannot win two agaisnt one, so he won't show up anytime soon."

Bankotsu stared at the younger brother, then at the eldest. He nodded. "I suppose you're right."

"Now, let's not let everyone feel gloomy," Hiten exclaimed, "Bankotsu, tell me about the girl."

"Why are you so interested in her?" the prince asked as he raised a brow.

"You know, most girls don't catch your eye," he drank out of a bol, "But this one, there's something about her that interests you, isn't there? Don't deny it, I know it's true. What type is she? How did you meet? And why didn't you introduce me to her a long time ago?"

Bankotsu could see that the thunder demon wanted answers, not because the prince seemed interested in Kagome, but because Hiten himself wanted to know her personally. _"I shouldn't say too much about Kagome. Knowing Hiten, he'd try to make a move on her... Wait, what the hell? What do I care about his relationship with her? It's not like..." _

"She was the one who 'saved' me during the Massacre, the one who guided me here," he said.

"Ah, there's already a connection," Manten said as he bit into a pig leg.

"And... that's about it," Bankotsu lied. "I met her when... Renkotsu tried to kill her," he finished quietly.

"Now, now, I can hear a lie in there," Hiten commented with a smirk. "Tell us the truth. I've heard that she was the one who promised you to find Lord Hokotsu, isn't that right? So you've forgiven her?"

He inwardly growled. He didn't want to mention it anymore. "It's not like it was her fault she couldn't find my old man!"

Manten blinked in surprise. "You don't blame her?"

"Of course not!" he exclaimed, surprising even himself. _"I never really thought of it, actually," _he told himself. _"It's true, it wasn't her fault she failed. For all I know, my father may be dead. There's no need to forgive her for failing at something she couldn't do in the first place." _

"That's our good prince," Hiten said with a smile as he threw his arm over his friend's shoulders. "Not even blaming people for what they couldn't do. I, for sure, would have punished her if I were in your place."

_"If that's the case," _Bankotsu thought, half-growling, _"I won't allow ever you to be alone with her, let alone become her lover... WHAT? Where did that come from? What's going on with me, I shouldn't be thinking that at all..." _

"But since you didn't introduce her to us earlier... I guess you didn't talk to her all week?" his friend asked.

He shook his head. "... No, I didn't."

"I guess I understand that," Hiten said. He stood up, and Manten followed his lead. "Now that we're finished, we'll get back to work."

"You were never at work in the first place."

Manten chuckled. "Nonsense, every moment of our life is work. Even walking around is hard since we usually fly." The younger brother started walking away, and Hiten was about to follow, when Bankotsu suddenly grabbed him.

"Huh? What's up, anything you'd like to tell me?" the thunder demon asked.

The teen didn't even know why he did that. It was reflex, something his mind did on its own. Why? Not only that, for a moment, Bankotsu was glaring at his friend in warning, though the demon didn't see it. Also, three words escaped his mouth in a whisper: "Keep away from..." But he stopped himself. _"What... the..."_

"Keep an eye on Manten," Bankotsu said instead. "He's too careless about Renkotsu. As I said before, that traitor can have friends, and it won't be two agaisnt one, it'll be two agaisnt two, maybe three. I don't want you guys to get yourselves killed because you weren't careful enough. You know what he can do."

Hiten smirked. "Don't worry. There's no way one of us will die. After all, we survived the Massacre. But I'll take your advice anyways, just in case."

With that, he left. Bankotsu was at his small table, looking at the plates, and he wondered what caused him to grab his friend in the first place. Because it wasn't his intention to warn him about Renkotsu...

He shook off the nasty feeling, and continued eating. He noticed that most of the cooks were in a rush, and didn't bother looking or even glancing at him, not even noticing how rude they were being to a prince.

_"Must be really busy," _he thought as he watched a woman running to the other room. _"They've probably got some other people to feed. Plus, now that we're staying here, they've got even more mouthes to feed. I kinda feel sorry for them. Kinda."_

"Excuse me?"

He turned his head and saw a woman, probably in her early thirties, holding out some more food. "Do you need anything else, sir?" she asked.

He shook his hand and smiled. "No, no, it's fine. Thank you. I'm going to be off in a few minutes anyways."

The woman smiled back. "That's fine. And is the food to your taste...?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, it's perfect, just fine!" he replied.

She simply nodded before leaving.

_"Speaking of leaving soon..." _he stared at the food bowl he held in his hands. _"What am I going to do? It's not like I can leave Kagome alone... But then again... After that time..." _An image of him on top of her girl appeared. He shook his head. _"I don't think she'll want to face me again."_

_"But it's not like I can stay here forever," _he thought as he laid his bowl down and stood up. _"I might as well take a walk around..." _The first thing that came in mind was the indoor-garden. _"Maybe I'll go there."_

"Excuse me?" he asked to no one in particular. "I'm going to leave now..."

He got used to alerting the chefs of Ando when he finished eating. It seemed right somehow... He couldn't just leave without a word. No one would really pay attention to him.

"Have a nice day, Bankotsu, sir!" a man called when he was about to leave.

The prince could already hear the servants cleaning his table, trying to work as fast as they can to let others take his place. He wondered if they were always this busy, or if they moved this way because they had more guests.

_"I hope these next four months are going to pass by quickly..." _he thought. _"And if my father's alive, then I'll talk to him at the next Gathering about Renkotsu. And we'll decide what to do then."_

~O*O~

Bankotsu was in a hallway which gave sight to the indoor-garden when he noticed all the commotion. The problem was... everyone was in the garden, Ando and Lutaru members all gathered in one pack.

_"And I came here to search for some peace and quiet... so much for that. I might as well see what they're all doing." _

He quickly made his way to the garden, and stood calmly behind his men when he got to the crowd. "Hey! What's going on here?"

Gasps and murmurs of shock echoed in the crowd. Heads turned to his direction and some wide eyes met his. After a short moment, a young man about his own age with brown hair and amber eyes walked to him. He seemed familiar...

"Bankotsu sir," he bowed. When he looked up, he asked, "You... don't remember me, do you? From last night?"

"Oh! Right!" The prince's eyes lightened as he remembered where he had seen him. "You're Kagome's friend... Let's see... Takeo?"

The young man smiled. "Yes. That's right." He laughed a little. "It's... an honor to know that a prince from another land knows my name..."

"Don't say that, now," Bankotsu said as he laid a hand on his shoulder. "Every man on the battlefiel counts. You have to remember names if you want to honor those who died. Besides, it took me a while to remember most names anyway."

"If you put it that way, it sounds gloomy..." A big drop of sweat rolled down Takeo's head.

Bankotsu laughed. "Yeah, you're right. Sorry. So tell me, what's all this rukus about?"

"Come and look yourself," the general replied.

The crowd made way from the two to pass. Bankotsu looked down and saw a huge rip in the earth, as if a sword had dug deep into the ground and slashed it in two. Three men kneeled down next to the huge scratch, observing it, and trying to determine if a demon had done it, or if it were a human.

Nobody really saw the huge drop of sweat on Bankotsu's head.

"Apparently, someone damaged our yard last night, while we were all outside," Takeo sighed. "Thing is, we can't figure out why someone would have wanted to do this... Ando demons wouldn't dare, and our swordsmanship general says that his soldiers have never wielded a blade big enough to make this. But surely... it can't be someone from Lutaru... could it?"

"Ummm... m-maybe," Bankotsu stuttered. "I-I'm sure it's no one from your clan, so don't punish anyone, okay? I'll... warn my men, don't worry. And... Who's going to rebuild it?"

Takeo seemed surprise. No doubt, he was thinking Bankotsu would snap at him for thinking that someone of Lutaru would do such a thing... "Well... usually, we tell the women to take care of it, since they know how to handle plants..."

"I'll send my bug demon group to you, then," the prince said. "They also know a thing or two about plants, it's the least we can do to make up for this mess." _"And besides, this is the type of things they like to do," _he added to himself.

Takeo narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure everything's going to be okay, sir...?"

"Of course! Just you wait, they'll make the yard look nice and clean, just like how it used to be." _"I hope."_

The young general still seemed unsure, but since he couldn't go against a prince's offer, he said, "If you say so... I suppose we can fix this up tomorrow. But I'll send some of the women here just to make sure everything's going to be okay..."

"That's fine. Just leave it all to my demons," Bankotsu said. Turning his head to the crowd, he yelled, "Nothing to see here, move along! Everything's going to be back to normal tomorrow!"

Inwardly, he told himself, _"Maybe I should be careful next time I pick a fight in an indoor yard..."_

Some men shared worried glances, and muttered to each other, but slowly, the crowd of people left and Bankotsu was left with Takeo. Some people stared at them from above as they walked in the hallways around them.

"Tell me, how are the Lutaru soldiers doing?" Takeo asked. "Are they recovering well?"

"Yeah, all of our generals are doing fine," the prince said with a smile. "Luckily, very few of our soldiers died of their wounds... And most of our generals are here with us, so everything seems great when it comes to giving orders."

"That's a relief," Takeo sighed. "That must mean that Lutaru will be back on its feet in a few months."

"Yeah. A clan as strong as ours won't go down easily."

"There is one thing that's bothering me though..." Takeo said in a low tone.

"What is it?" Bankotsu narrowed his eyes.

"I've seen some of your men talking with some of our women last night..." He said apprehensively. "They seemed like they were having a lot of fun... a bit too much fun, if you ask me."

"What's wrong with that?" He didn't like where this was going. If Takeo was the type of person to feel uncomfortable around people from other clans... he'd have to stay away from him. _"What if... he sided with Renkotsu?" _he thought suddenly. _"But... it wouldn't make any sense... he doesn't know him..."_

Takeo sighed. "Many alliances have been made before in the past... And when a clan visits another, relathionships are made... some meetings are bad, some change your life forever..."

He paused, and looked out into the distance. The young man seemed deep in thought, but Bankotsu wanted him to finish what he was saying. "Yes? What are you trying to get at?"

"It's very rare to here about this, even though it happens from time to time..." Takeo sighed again. "Let me put it this way. A soldier from Furyoku meets a woman from the Ando Temple. One thing leads to another and eventually... the woman falls pregnant."

Bankotsu froze.

"You understand now, right? When some relationships are too strong, this is what happens. Alliances never last forever. The man goes back to his clan because the alliance is no more and there is war between the two lands.

"Before long, the woman is considered a traitor and is exiled. She goes to Furyoku, trying to get to the father, and she's exausted from the long walk, but she's murdered before she could even explain anything, because she is the enemy.

"Sometimes, the clan knows who the father is, and even he is considered a traitor, and is exiled as well. Most of the time, the clan tries its best to keep the secret hidden from the rest of the citizens.

"And yet, it happens everytime an alliance is made. I'm sure that as soon as Naraku is defeated, you'd go back to your land, and there would be no alliance anymore. However, what you may not know is that someone betrayed you by having a child with another."

Bankotsu closed his eyes and stayed calm. _"Yeah... I've already heard these kind of stories from my father... but I've never really taken them seriously. I never thought that someone would betray their clan, that their loyalty would belong to someone else..."_

"Some actually make it out without any problems," Takeo continued. "Some women find a man she trusts, someone she relies on to keep a secret. Then, that man is taken as the father..."

"To think... people would go that far..." Bankotsu said as he slowly opened his eyes.

Takeo nodded and stared at the cherry tree next to him. "Love makes people do crazy things..." His eyes softened. "I would know."

Bankotsu blinked, and a little smirked appeared on his lips. "You have someone in mind?"

"I don't even think she loves me back." The young man snickered, but the prince could see sadness in his amber eyes. "But I'm hoping that one day she'll notice and return the feelings. And even if she doesn't, I'll accept her decision and stay by her side as a friend... no matter how much it hurts."

As of then, Bankotsu respected Takeo. The first time he met him, Takeo was making fun of some friends. _"So this guy can be pretty serious too... Or maybe he's like Suikotsu. Maybe he has two sides to himself." _But he highly doubted it.

The prince grinned. "I'll make sure to tell my men to avoid doing anything stupid."

Takeo nodded. "It's the best for-"

His eyes looked up, behind Bankotsu, for a very brief moment, and he suddenly bursted out laughing. Bankotsu looked at him in surprise at the young man who seemed so wise a second ago. "Wha-what the...?"

The prince turned around and saw a woman standing in the hallway on the second floor. There was an odd scent coming from her, and her clothes dripped with slime. She glared at Takeo.

The young man managed to say after all that laughing, "Wha... What happened to you? You... you look like a wet animal!" And he went back to uncontrollable laughter.

The woman glared daggers at him. "Go on ahead and laugh, and let's see you try to find a basket full of dead fish in the dark!"

Takeo's laughter only doubled. Bankotsu took a closer look at her... and his eyes widened when he realised it was Kagome. At first, he didn't know what to do. Laugh or stare in shock?

"Had a little accident when you were trying to feed Kirara?" Takeo yelled to her. "I thought you got used to it, like, what, four years ago?"

Kagome growled at him, "Shut up."

Her friend snickered. "You know, I wouldn't say that right now if I were you. You can't speak like that to a general."

"I don't care if you're archery captain or not, you're still a little snowflake," she retorted with a sneer. "Besides, if I stayed in the archery unit, I would've been made captain instead."

This made Takeo frown. "... The past is the past and nothing can be changed now, can it?" He snickered. "Anyways, you should probably take a shower or something, you'll make Koga run miles away from you with that stentch." He wrinkled his nose.

"Ha. Ha," Kagome growled coldly.

"And you're making a fool of yourself in front of Lutaru's next heir."

Kagome froze and didn't dare turn her head. She was so busy fighting with her childhood friend that she didn't notice it was _him_. An image of the other night flashed into her mind, and she was glad the slime was covering her red face.

She casted a quick glance at Bankotsu. He was staring back with the same shocked expression, and that was what it all took to get her running out of there.

The prince yelled, "Hey! Wait a second!" He ran across the garden and headed straight for the stairs.

Behind him, he could hear Takeo confused voice, "Wha- Hey? What's going on?"

~O*O~

Kagome ran as fast as she could. _"To think that I'd see him so soon! In a big temple like this!" _

Ignoring all the odd glances people were giving her, she bolted to the women's showers. She knew that Bankotsu was fast, she saw him in action agaisnt Renkotsu. If he knew his way around the temple, he'd eaily find her. _"Please, just let me wash myself up before I run into him! No, forget it, I hope he loses his way!"_

She one last turn and saw the showers. _"Yes!"_

The miko entered the room and stopped to catch her breath. Looking behind her, she thought, _"He didn't get here. Thank goodness..." _She sighed in relief.

"Kagome."

Surprised, she whipped around, eyes wide. She calmed down when she realised it was only Naoko, the woman who raised her when she was a child.

"I'm sorry, did I scare you?" Naoko asked with worried eyes.

"No, don't worry, it's nothing," she reassured.

"Well... _that_ does not look like nothing to me," the older woman said, pointing at her dripping clothes and slimy hair. "What happened this time?" she sighed.

"Kirara's food. That's what."

"Oh, goodness..."

"It's alright, I'll wash myself quickly and get back to work. A nice hot bath in the morning is nice."

Naoko sighed. "Let me help you get those off."

Before long, Kagome had finished washing all the slime away, and the two women were in the hot springs. Her sigh caught Naoko's attention. "What with the sad face?"

"Sad face?"

"I know when something's wrong with you, I've raised you for six years now. Kagome, dear, you can always tell me anything and I wouldn't say it to anyone. If there's a problem you can always rely on me."

Kagome smiled. "Thank you. And I already know that. But just this once..." she looked up at the sky, "I think I'll have to handle this alone."

"... You're getting me worried now." Naoko narrowed her eyes.

"Don't worry about it, it's all going to be okay soon," she smiled brightly. "I can't rely on you forever. I am grateful for eveything you've done for me... but I have to spread my own wings and fly on my own."

Naoko smiled and patted Kagome's head gently. "... I'm so proud of you."

She blinked gratefully and stood up. "Well, I should be on my way. Sango's waiting for me to return, I can't stay out for too long."

"Oh, we need your help in the medical station too. We're starting to run out of a few herbs, so ask Sango if you can leave her for a single day."

"A whole day?" Kagome was surprised. "That's how much we're running out?"

"No... we just want to save some in case we really run out of stock," Naoko said apprehensively. "Some soldiers have caught infections and have high fevers... they came back last night drunk out of their minds and they got sicker..."

"They just can't seem to take care of themselves, huh?" Kagome said as she rolled her eyes.

Naoko's eyes suddenly turned dull and empty, and Kagome knew what she was thinking about. "... Men can never take care of themselves properly..."

The miko knew she couldn't do anything then. Quietly, she slipped out of the springs and went inside. She could hear Naoko sobbing quietly and her tears falling into the water.

She was thinking of her dead husband, and her decesed child. Kagome had alway wondered what happened to her lover and child, but she didn't dare ask. Until one day, someone told her.

Her lover went out some day and never came back. A month later, they found his bones in a demon's nest, and Naoko was devastated. Soon after, her only child followed his father to heaven when he became very ill.

Every time Kagome and Sango would go out to visit a village, or to go someplace, Naoko would always watch her adopted daughter leave with worried eyes, wondering if she would come back alive.

Kagome changed into new clothes without a word, and walked outside. Everything seemed very quiet.

"Yo."

She jumped. "Wha- what the-"

Bankotsu was leaning against a wall, his eyes closed. He sighed and looked at her. "Took you a while. Did ya have fun in there?"

Her heart skipped a beat when she met his eyes. Hers looked down to his mouth, and she turned red. She dropped her gaze to the floor and froze. _"Shoot! I was so busy with Naoko I almost forgot about him..."_

"You... didn't need to run away. I could've let you stay in there. I wouldn't peak when there's so many women around." Little did Kagome know, he was blushing as well. He also knew that talking to her was not going to be easy... _"Not after... that."_

"Ummmm... Uhhh... Yeah..." she stuttered. _"What else should I say? I don't want to talk to him..."_

Bankotsu didn't know what to say either. He didn't even think about it when he was waiting for her. "I... told my generals about you."

"Wha?" Her head flicked up and her face was red. "Wha-What do you mean by that?" she exclaimed.

The prince seemed confused. "Huh? What're you so surprised about?" In a lower tone, he explained, "I told them about how you know Renkotsu. What he did to you."

"Oh." Inwardly, she sighed in relief. _"I thought he told them about who I am... what he did...!" _She bowed her head to hide the blush again. She couldn't seem to face him...

"So you shouldn't worry to much," he continued. "They know who you are, so they'll protect you if the traitor tries to do anything to you."

"Ummm... ok... That's nice..."

Seeing her hesitant about her words made him embarassed. If she could just talk to him a little more casually, he would have been fine...! He looked around, and realised that the usual golden patterns on the wall have changed to blue ones...

"Hmmm... I've never been on this side of the temple before," he said as he walked around back and forth in the hallway.

"Oh... That's because this area is where the hot springs are... I'm sure that after the war, nobody would really focus on showing you these type of places..." she explained warrily.

"But they've got to know that everyone loves hot springs, right?" He smiled. "There aren't many hot springs in Lutaru either, so we love them best."

"You don't... have a lot?"

"'Course not. Think about it. Lutaru. Our land is all about stones. We don't have a lot of forests, forget hot springs. They're usually located on the border of Furyoku and Ando, and going there is dangerous."

"On the border...?" she wondered. "I don't think I've ever heard of that..."

"It's still in my land, remember. But sometimes, our women go there and are spotted by your men." He laughed. "It's pretty funny to hear those women scream... and even funnier when the men run away."

Kagome didn't say anything. _"I'm kinda glad it's on their side... If it belonged to Ando, girls would go there every day... And who knows what would've happened..."_

"Can you show me where they are?" he asked suddenly.

"Hmm?"

"The men's hotspring," he explained. "I'd like to go there sometime."

"Oh... sure... Follow me."

Kagome walked ahead, head slightly bowed, and Bankotsu followed behind calmly. Their footsteps echoed in the hallway, and everything seemed far too quiet. The prince stared at the walls, watching the blue dragons fly slowly past him. Soon, they were replaced by animals of the forest, plants and trees growing at their feet.

Bankotsu wondered how long it took them to draw all those details. Especially since the temple was as big as the one he grew up in. Maybe even bigger.

"How long does it take for you to draw these things?" he asked as they walked.

"You mean the walls?" Bankotsu nodded, and she explained, "Well... I'm not too sure either, but I think that for a whole floor... it should take, like, ten years? Maybe fifteen? And if the painters never took a break, it may take eight..."

"That long?" his eyes widened.

"Yes. It takes a lot of patience too, if you don't want to give up on the painting. Of course, some people did give up... Sometimes, they'd do small rooms instead... But those don't get as much attention as those you see everyday."

"I see," he looked at the paintings again. "There's nothing like this in Lutaru except for the dragon above the royal throne. And even then, most of the time, the room's dark so you don't get to see much."

Kagome smiled. "Many things differ from clan to clan..."

"Of course. That's why there are wars, that's why it isn't easy to live somewhere other than our home."

Her eyes and voice softened. "But that's also why some people from other clans become close... Differences can also attract two people."

Bankotsu narrowed his eyes. _"That is very similar to what Takeo said earlier... Except she seems more fond of it..." _Then, a horrible thought struck him. _"Could she be interested in someone from another territory...?"_

And, he didn't know why, but he felt a fire burning inside of him, just for a moment. He frowned. _"What the hell? I can't be jealous... can I?" _

He decided to shake away the feeling of anger, and told himself that he was just worried about her well-being. If she was in love with someone from another land... She'd be in trouble. That wouldn't be good, and he certainly didn't want anyone to die. But then again, why should he be concerned about her personal life?

"So, last night, was that your first kiss?" he suddenly asked.

Kagome froze, and he realised that he made a big mistake. Bringing up the subject would only make things worse for him, and he certainly didn't want her to run away again.

"Uh- f-forget what I said! It just-" he stuttered after a while.

But Kagome already started speaking. "Does... a kiss on the cheek count?"

"Huh?" His eyes were confused. _"She actually answered..." _And it was his turn to give a response. "... No, I guess not. Anyone can give a kiss on the cheek, it's nothing forbidden..."

He could see her face go red, and he said, "So, I take that as a 'yes'...?"

She didn't answer, and Bankotsu felt terrible. _"Crap."_

"... Ummm..." he started off slowly, carefully thinking of his next words. "Sorry... about that... I know how much it means to you so..."

The blush on Kagome's face disappeared and she turned around, confused. "Huh?"

Bankotsu looked away. "To a woman, your first kiss is important, right? And... I stole it from you... I'm someone you barely know..."

"Oh," she just said. _"He's bothered about the fact that it was my first kiss... But I'm worried because it was a kiss... from him..." _She felt her cheeks grow pink again as she remembered how it all happened. Jakotsu stumbling on Bankotsu, him falling on her, and...

"I... understand if you're pissed at me," he said, and bowed his head lightly to her level. "So go on and slap me as much as you want."

"Slap you?" She took a tiny step back. "Didn't you say that was forbidden...? I'd get in trouble."

"... Just this once, it doesn't matter. Besides, a kiss is much more important than a grope."

He closed his eyes and waited for Kagome to hit him hard. He deserved it. After all, he knew how bad it was for a girl to lose her first kiss... he witnessed it many times before. He heard her clothes shift and waited.

"Actually..."

He opened an eye. Kagome wasn't looking at him, and she was further than she was before. _"She's going for a boost," _he thought. _"Can't turn back now... Even if this is gonna hurt."_

"It doesn't really matter to me," she explained.

Both of his eyes flew open. "Huh?"

"I don't know if it's just me, but..." She thought of her words carefully. "If I think about it well... it's not like it'll be my last kiss. There will be more to come, so I'm not really bothered..."

Bankotsu blinked and started to bring his head back up. _"Is she serious?" _"Are you sure? It really doesn't bother you at all?"

"Sure it does..." she said calmly. "But it's only my first kiss... there's going to be more than just one, I'm sure..." And yet, she couldn't look at him in the eyes.

"Besides... it's not like you're some stranger..." Bankotsu noticed a small blush when she spoke. "At least you're someone I'm starting to know well..."

_"And for some reason, I'm not mad that you kissed me..." _a voice in her head said. Her face was a tomato as the words repeated in her mind. _"Did I just think that?"_

Bankotsu smiled, relief flooding his chest. _"She's not mad... thank goodness." _He observed her face a little more, and chuckled inwardly. _"Just a little embarassed."_

He smirked, and Kagome brought up her eyes. His smile was warm and a little cocky, but his blue eyes were gentle. Her breath caught in her throat, she could barely speak a word as he laid a hand on her shoulder.

"You're one unique woman. I think we're gonna get along real well."

* * *

><p><strong>YES. Finally finished this... It's been so long since I last updated, sorry! Now that school's out, I should be able to update faster... I hope.<strong>

**And apparently, I'm so impatient with updating, describing Kinumaru will have to wait next chapter. *I really have to start making promises I can't keep...***

**Thank you for your support! ^^**

**PS: trying my best to put in romantic scenes... it's coming!**

_**~FoxRain7~**_


	7. Chapter 7: The Waiting Is Over

**Reading the previous chapters... I've noticed that I mix up Yami and Yomi... Darn my incapability to decide properly!**

**So I think I'll stick with Yami since it's the right word that should've been used all this time... I'll try not to mess it up anymore!**

* * *

><p><strong>Darker Than Night<strong>

**Chapter 7: The Waiting Is Over**

"Here we are," Kagome said as she and the prince stood in front of the entrance to the men's hot springs.

"Nice feeling I'm getting from this place," Bankotsu commented with a grin. "I think I'll be using your hot springs for a while."

"Glad you like it." The miko smiled.

"There's not much to hate about Ando, you know," he said as he looked around. "It smells nice, it's clean, rooms have good views... maybe the only problems is getting used to the soldiers."

She giggled. "No matter where the soldiers are from, they've all got their own personalities."

"Oh, by the way... do you only have two demon generals?" he asked. "I've seen the wolf, and the leader of the panthers... No one else, though."

"We do have more than that..." She thought back to the days she was still training in the archery division, and when she met the captains. "There's a bug demon group, a plant demon unit, and a snake demon unit... The sword fighting, arrow shooting, medical unit, all the rest should be lead by humans..."

"That's not a lot of demons," Bankotsu said. "We have more than that. I don't think I can count them... But every land's different so..."

"I think..." Kagome furrowed her brows as she thought. "There are as many half-demons as there are demons..."

The prince seemed surprised. "Really? That's very rare..."

"Our land has the most half-demons," she confirmed. "In Yami, I've heard that they're immediatly executed..." She shivered. "In Furyoku, very few. In Lutaru, a little more... Am I right?"

He nodded. "Only one of our generals is a hanyou. He's not here."

Kagome could only nod, and both of them fell quiet. She knew she couldn't reassure him of something she wasn't sure of. She already made that mistake once, and she wouldn't make it again.

"Hm? Kagome?" a voice behind them spoke.

The girl turned around to face two wolf demons, the first seat and second seat of the wolf division. "Hi Ginta, Hakkaku. Are you going to take a bath?"

The two demons nodded. "By the way, did something happen?" Ginta asked. He wrinkled his nose very slightly. "You smell terrible, we could smell you from the end of the hallway..."

"Do I still stink?" She sniffed her hair and grimaced. "Yeah, I guess I didn't wash it all off. Even with these new clothes, I don't smell so nice. I was in a rush so-"

Her eyes widened. "Oh my gosh, I forgot! I need to get to Sango! I said I'd go back to her as soon as I finished washing myself!"

"Then what did you do all this time?" Hakkaku asked as he tilted his head.

"Oh, I showed him the men's hot springs," she said as she gestured to Bankotsu.

The prince nodded. "How do you do?"

The two wolf demons were shocked and stuttered, "A-Ah! B-Bankotsu, Sir! We-we're... U-uh..."

Kagome sighed, and spoke to Bankotsu. "They can't really do anything without Koga around."

"Hey! That's not true!"

He chuckled. "It's okay. Not everyone can keep their cool around me."

"We didn't recognise your scent," Ginta explained as he rubbed the back of his head, embarassed. "It's an honnor to meet the prince of Lutaru..."

"No kidding, to think this would happen to us..." Hakkaku laughed nervously.

"Alright, well you men have a good time, I'm going to go back up to Sango," Kagome said as she walked away.

"Hey, wait a second!" Bankotsu followed her. "Let me accompany you."

She blinked. "You don't need to. It's not like it's very far either. Just one floor."

"I'll need to go see the emperor anyways," he said. "Besides, I think I'm gonna go see Sango as well. Meeting someone from my rank will be useful. We have common problems and such, so it'll be easy to talk to her about a lot of things."

That moment, Kagome felt an ache in her chest. _"Huh? What was that? It's like the wind was blown out of my lungs for a second..."_

"Let's... go then." She threw away the uneasy feeling from her mind and moved on.

They continued their way down the hall, both remaining silent. As they walked, they passed by some people, who nodded politely to Bankotsu. And after passing a big group of Ando soldiers, everything was quiet.

Kagome looked over her shoulder to him and asked, "You're not tired of saying hello to everyone, are you?"

"I'm getting used to it by now," he said with a smile. As a joke, he added, "It's nice exercise for the neck too."

He heard loud footsteps coming from ahead, and they grew closer and closer, faster and faster. Kagome stopped and noticed it too. She frowned. "That sounds like..."

Two children appeared from the right corner of the hallway, running and laughing. It was a girl and a boy, about ten years of age. The girl, who was in the lead, bumped into Kagome and fell. "Oof!"

The boy's eyes widened in shock at his friend getting hurt, and he rushed to her side. "Rei!" he exclaimed.

Rei looked up, annoyed, and said, "Hey! Watch where you're-"

She shut her mouth when she realized she was looking at Kagome. "... Going?" The miko finished for her. "I should be saying that to you."

The little girl laughed nervously and gave a little smile. "Ehehe... Hi, Kagome..."

The boy helped Rei get up, and Kagome continued, "How many punishments does it take for you both to stop behaving like this? What about your training, what do you think your mentors will say?"

Bankotsu took a closer look at Rei, and was surprised to see small antenas popping out of her purple hair. He also noticed her slightly pointy ears and the small scales on her hands. He blinked. _"I thought she was human when she came running... Is she a half-demon?" _He seemed to recall what Kagome had said earlier. _"There are as many half-demons as there are demons..."_

She scowled and looked away. "Like there's any time for that now. Everyone's busy... Besides, we don't need anymore training, we're strong just the way we are!"

"Is that so?" Kagome raised a brow. "Makoto, do yo know how to treat an infection inside the body? And have you finished developping your new sword technique?"

"Ummm..." Makoto looked down, not knowing how to answer.

"And Rei, did you master all your flying techniques?"

The little girl spread her thin purple wings and boasted, "Hmph! I can fly just fine! I know how to do loops and everything!"

Kagome narrowed her eyes. "I don't think so. You weren't doing so well two days ago."

Rei stiffened, but she stood her ground. She crossed her arms and looked up at the miko proudly. "Uhh... well... I'm better now!"

The priestess sighed. "Look, you two, even if we need to work now more than ever, you can't just take a break. There are things to do, and you need to become stronger. I'm sure someone would like to train you."

Makoto looked bowed. "We're sorry..."

Rei whipped around to her friend. "Mako, don't apologize!"

Bankotsu decided to speak up. "You know, today's a nice day. The sun's out and the wind's perfect. I'm sure you can train outside with someone."

"A lot of the soldiers from my unit are cleaning from yesterday's party." Rei pouted. "And my friends from my division aren't fun to train with, they're really annoying... and they're still asleep."

"What about you, Makoto?" Kagome asked the young boy. "Both of your mentors should be up by now. Maybe your sword-mentor's busy right now, but surely the other must be free?"

_"He has two teachers?" _Bankotsu thought in surprise.

Makoto bowed his head slightly and tried to avoid Kagome's eyes. "Well... Rei came into our room and woke me up... So I didn't have much of a choice..."

"Hey, I said you could come with me if you wanted to!" Rei corrected. "You _did_ have a choice."

Kagome sighed. "I know everything seems really boring these days... But that doesn't mean you should slack off and do whatever you want. This is a good chance to practice your abilities and get them better. Who knows, you might discover something new that might be useful."

Rei frowned and pouted, revealing her lower lip to the world. She didn't seem to want to change her mind, but Makoto gently took her hand and said, "Let's go ask your father if we can do anything."

"Hold on," Kagome said. "Don't you want to say hello to the next ruler of Lutaru here?" She gestured to Bankotsu.

The children's eyes widened. "You're kidding, right?" Rei asked, still gawking at the prince as if he were a ghost.

"He's the real thing."

"Forgive me for not recognizing you, sir!" Makoto said politely and bowed.

"I-I'm sorry as well!" Rei exclaimed as she bowed, immitating her friend.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," Bankotsu assured the young boy. "It's not your fault you didn't know how I looked like. Come on, raise your head."

The two children looked up at him admiringly.

"Where is your weapon, sir?" Rei asked, suddenly extremely interested. "I heard you bring it around all the time with you."

He chuckled. "I do bring it with me everywhere I go. Just not now since this isn't my temple..."

"Is it so big you can't walk around with it around the temple?" Makoto asked with wide eyes.

"Well, if you compare it with other weapons, yes, I suppose it'd be the biggest weapon you'd ever see in your life," he boasted. "If I bring it around with me, it may scare some people."

The children's eyes grew wide, and Kagome interrupted. "Alright, you two, get going, we have to go see some people upstairs. And you need to train."

"Awwww..." Rei whined. "But we've just met him! Can't we ask him some things? Who knows when's gonna be the next time we meet him!"

"With you two causing trouble like this everyday, I'm pretty sure you'll run into him again real soon," she said as she rolled her eyes. "Now get going. You can impress him next time with the new skills you've learned."

That moment, their tiny eyes shined. Rei grabed Makoto's hands and said, "Come on, let's see what we can learn!" With that, they were both gone from Kagome's sight in a few seconds.

"You sound like a mother," Bankotsu commented as he snickered.

She didn't expect that at all, and her cheeks grew red. "Wha... What makes you say that?"

"The way you scold them, and how you glare at them. Reminds me of how the nannies took care of me when I was a kid." He chuckled. "I was such a troublemaker."

"Nannies?" She blinked. "What about your mother? Was she too busy to take care of you?" She's never seen the queen of Lutaru during Gatherings, but she didn't think it was a big deal. After all, the queens could choose to go or stay in their temple. Sango's mother, when she was still alive, used to stay in the temple while her husband left for the meetings.

_"Come to think of if..." _she frowned. _"I've never really heard much about the queen of Lutaru. And Bankotsu never mentionned her either..."_

He shook his head. "It's not that. Before she gave birth to me, she was really ill. Me being born didn't help her recover much either. She couldn't show up to Gatherings anymore and could barely fend for herself. She passed away six years ago."

"Oh..." Kagome froze and looked down, her eyes filled with grief. "I'm sorry. I didn't know..."

He smiled. "Hey, don't worry about it. I may not have known my mother too much, the memories I have of her are enough. I'd go in her room from time to time and I'd listen to her sing a lullaby. When I was a little older, I learned where I got my personnality from," he said as he snickered. "I always knew that my father's serious ways of talking never fit me."

She smiled a little. Somehow, his grins were contagious. Seeing him in a good mood made her happy. "Let's continue our way," she said as she started walking. He followed.

"What about you?" he asked.

"Hm?"

"You have family here, don't you?" he precised. "Is there a story about your family, like how you've always served the royal family for generations and generations?"

"I don't think it's anything like that," she said. "See, I wasn't born in the Ando temple, or born as Sango's servant. I was a commoner in a tiny village."

"You were a commoner?" he asked, his eyes wide.

She nodded. "But one day, when I was ten, I was chasing a rabbit in the forest. And I got lost. Then, a rogue demon started chasing after me, but the soldiers here saved me. They brought me in, and I met Sango. I took archery courses, and eventually, I became Sango's servant."

"What about your family? Didn't you ever think of going back?"

"Of course I did, sometimes. But the people here were so nice... I didn't really want to go back. I didn't even know where my village was located, and I was sure my parents thought of me as dead... So I stayed. And I have a little brother, so my parents aren't child-less."

Bankotsu narrowed his eyes slightly. Those reasons sounded suspicious. A little girl would've wanted nothing more than to go back home with her mother instead of staying in a huge temple with strangers. Even if the strangers were nice.

He tossed it all aside. What's done is done, there was nothing that could change it. "You still have memories of them, don't you?"

"Yeah," she smiled fondly. "My brother was jumpy and energetic. Sota watched the men train their fighting skills every day, and trained with some of his friends too. My mom was bright and happy, ready to help anyone in need. Of course, she'd scold Sota sometimes when he broke something with his wooden sword." She giggled a little. "And I'll never forget my mother's cooking. It's like her personnality was in every bite."

"She sounds like a great mom," Bankotsu said.

"She was," she said, her eyes warm.

"It's told that most daughters end up acting like their mothers when they get children," he added as he looked at her. She stared back. "I'm sure you'll make a great mother someday. I'd probaby get jealous of your husband too," he said with a snicker.

"Eh?" Kagome blushed, and she looked down. "Y... You don't need to... say things like that..."

"I'm just saying what I think," he said, clearly pleased that she was blushing. "And it's probably the truth." He was smiling, but on the inside, he was disturbed. _"She didn't mention her father." _

If she didn't talk about him, then something must have happened, something she didn't want to mention... Like how he never spoke about his mother after her death. He decided that it would be wiser not to ask.

"By the way," he changed the subject, "That kid -Makoto was his name, right?- you said he has two teachers. What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, right. Those in the medical division have to know how to fight, in case someone tries to attack them and they need to defend. They can choose any weapon they want to learn."

Bankotsu nodded as things became clearer to him. "So the kid has a healing mentor and one that can fight?"

"That's right."

"So you decided to go with bows and arrows, right?"

"Something like that. I originally intended to join the archers, but the one who nursed me here is a doctor, so-"

"Kagome!" someone interrupted.

Her head flew up and she met Sango's impatient gaze. "Where have you been? That took quite a while! My father wants to meet us soon."

"Coming!" Kagome turned to Bankotsu. "I'll see you later. Sango and I have to change and the meeting's probably going to take a while... Usually it does."

"I know how that feels like," he said as he rolled his eyes. "I can't count all the times I fell asleep during a meeting."

She smiled in amusement and headed back to her master. Suddenly, Sango spoke to the man behind her, "Bankotsu! My father would like to meet with you to! And if possible, you should bring some of your generals along! The meeting's in fourty-five minutes!"

The little groan of protest didn't escape Kagome's ears, and she giggled. He answered, "Alright, I'll be there."

~O*O~

"Is everyone here?" The emperor of Ando asked as he sat down and looked at the people sitting before him. Sango sat on his right, while Kohaku sat at his left. Their servants all sat behind their masters, and Hamada, the wannabe queen, was behind the emperor, ready to recieve any order.

Bankotsu sat facing him, three meters away. On Bankotsu's right was Shishinki. On his left was Jakotsu. There were two lines before the rulers of the lands: On Bankotsu's right side were some Ando generals, while on his left was his own captains.

"Seems like it," Kohaku confirmed.

Bankotsu nodded. "I've gathered everyone I needed."

"Then let's start," Sango's father said. He raised his voice as he announced, "We are going to start our search for Lord Hokotsu."

A few small gasps could be heard. Hiten mumbled under his breath, scowling, "About damn time." Shishinki heard him and gave him a sharp glare that shut him up.

Many eyes widened, and all heads turned to the emperor, waiting for an explanation. "Of course, we will not only be looking for Lord Hokotsu, but for other Lutaru generals as well," he said looking at Bankotsu.

"This soon?" Sango asked, anxious. "It's only been a week since the Massacre, and some still need to recover..."

"I know," her father replied, "That's why we'll start the search next week."

"But even at that..."

"We need all the help we can get," he cut her off. "No matter how far it is, there _will_ be another attack. Who knows when that will be, and how strong it's going to be. With Hokotsu missing, Lutaru isn't balanced, even if they have Bankotsu.

"Also, some soldiers here are missing their captains who have taken refuge somewhere in Lutaru. They won't know who to take orders from during a battle." Turning to Bankotsu, he added, "And I know you want to search for your father more than anything these days."

The prince only nodded. "Yes, that's right."

Kagome looked at him. She could see him again, from that time when she and Sango were going to search for survivors after the attack. His eyes were desperate, almost begging the emperor to let him go with them to search for Hokotsu. _"He's finally getting his chance," _she thought with a small relieved smile.

"Of course," Sango's father continued, "Some soldiers of Ando will need to accompany you on the search. As of next week, Bankotsu, you may choose when to go on the search, and you may choose those who will come with you.

"Your team must at least include three Ando soldiers, whether it be captains or mere soldiers. When you leave, you have two days to return. Any more than that, and we will come looking for you."

Bankotsu nodded. "Those are rules I can deal with... Though I'd like for the time limit to be a little longer. Say, three days?"

The emperor narrowed his eyes. "... I suppose that's fine. But in that case, please send a signal on the second day."

"Right."

"If there are any objections, speak now," the emperor said, mostly looking at the captains of his line.

Takeo spoke up, "Not any objection or anything, but I've heard from others that some people of Lutaru have taken refuge in small villages."

"That's right," both the emperor and Bankotsu nodded.

"Let's say we find Lord Hokotsu, and the three day limit is almost up. Those on the expedition will need to send a specific signal to let us know that we've found him, right? It would be reassuring to know that the team is late because we've achieved our goal. Same for some important generals, shouldn't it be?"

Bankotsu grinned. "That's a good idea."

"I agree," Sango said. "The signal for the three-day-limit can be a red fire light, the one we use on battlefields, while we can use the blue fire light to say we've found a captain or Lord Hokotsu. Though in Lord Hokotsu's case, I think it'd be preferable for someone to come back here to announced it himself."

When Bankotsu looked at Sango for her response, he caught Kagome's eye. She didn't look away. She smiled at him, her eyes warm and happy for him. Seeing her, he smiled to her gently. _"I'm glad too."_

"In that case, we need someone fast in every expedition team," the ruler said. His eyes landed on Koga.

The wolf demon blinked. "I have to go on every search? It's not that I don't want to, but there might be a problem with my unit if I'm absent almost every day..."

"Then is there anyone fast in your group, Bankotsu?"

"Let's see..." he frowned as he thought. "The fastest would be Juura, when he's equipped with his jewel... but making him transform would take time... and that leaves me with Hiten and Kinumaru."

"Hey, I'm fine with that!" Hiten said with a big grin.

"But if one of your wheels break, you're in trouble," Suikotsu pointed out. "You realize that, right?"

The thunder demon frowned. "Of course I do. But what are the chances of that happening?"

"I'm just saying that since Kinumaru has wings, he's functionning whenever, wherever."

"Please don't talk of me like I'm some sort of object," Kinumaru replied in his calm tone.

"Then you three can take turns," the emperor said. "Koga will go on the first day, then Hiten and Kinumaru. Is everything fine that way?"

"I've got no objections," Bankotsu said as he shrugged.

"Anything else?" Sango's father looked at everyone, waiting for another to speak up.

When no one raised their hand, he announced, "Very well. As I said, the search will start next week. In every expedition, Bankotsu will be in the lead, and other members are not permitted to go on two searches in a row, unless it's an emergency. On some unexpected occasions, you may not be able to go on a search, so please keep that in mind. The team must bring the blue and red fire lights at all times.

"With this, I hope we can discover the truth about Lord Hokotsu's disappearance," he concluded with a small bow. "Meeting dismissed."

Everyone slowly stood up and made their way out of the room. Only Sango, Kohaku, and their father remained in the room with their servants.

"Father," Sango spoke to him directly, "Does this mean you believe that Lord Hokotsu is alive?"

He smiled. "Of course I do. I've known Hokotsu for quite a while, believe me. He wouldn't die so easily."

"But that Massacre wasn't something that could have been 'easily' handled," Miroku said. "Someone told me he was shot in the chest. And he was injured before that too. And we can't forget that he's human, unlike Naraku and Sesshomaru."

"And he and I are starting to get old too." The emperor sighed. "But I can't give up on our only ally. Yami has become much stronger since Naraku showed up, and Furyoku's as good as ever. We need him."

~O*O~

"Bankotsu," Jakotsu whined. "Calm down. The patrols start in two days so there's no need to get pumped up this early in the morning..."

"I'm double-checking everything," Bankotsu said without looking up from his little pouch. "And if you want to go to sleep, go on." He mumbled to himself, "Kagome said we'll hunt for our food, so she'll pack up her arrows... Our blue fire light is there, Kagome should have the red one... Also, she's taking care of the medical supplies..."

His friend rolled his eyes. "Geez, you're really into this girl, aren't you?"

"What makes you say that?" he replied, still busy looking through his stuff.

"Just the fact that you seem to be actually enjoying her company, and that you secretly glare at Hiten whenever he walks by you two. And you're not afraid of repeating her name a thousand times, really."

"It's just that she's got most of the supplies," Bankotsu said casually. "And not all men are like you, Jakotsu. Men like me like to talk to women every once in a while."

"But it's not every once in a while, it's every day, almost four hours straight every time." Jakotsu sighed. "Are you getting too attached to her? You know that's going to be a problem, right?"

Bankotsu looked up from his small bag and frowned at his friend. "What are you suggesting?"

"I think you think of her more than just someone who knows our secret."

"Right, yes I do, and I also think of _you_ that way," he replied, looking back down.

Jakotsu sighed. "Alright, fine, but explain the glaring, so I don't get too worried."

Bankotsu remained silent. "... That's just your imagination."

"Imagination, my ass, I've known you long enough to know that those eyes of yours don't glare very often, and when you do, I know what it looks like. And there's always a reason behind it."

"Uh." Bankotsu lowered his head. "Well... umm..."

Jakotsu raised a brow. "I'm waiting." If his friend was stuttering, there must be a good reason behind it too.

"... Er... It's like this... um." After another pause, he finally said, "Hiten might try to grope her. You know how he is, women are toys to him. He's probably gonna try to do something, cause he's been giving the eye to Kagome these days, if you know what I mean."

"Right..." Jakotsu said sarcastically. "And you'd care for her well-being."

"Naturally. If she feels the least bit uncomfortable around us, she might spill out everything about Renkotsu. That's something we don't want."

"A woman like her wouldn't go and talk about an important secret like this one just because of some grope. I'm sure you know that, since you're the one who knows her the most."

Bankotsu groaned slightly. "Shut up."

"So I'm right?"

"I didn't say anything to make you think you're right!"

"But you did."

"Jakotsu-"

"There's trouble!" Shishinki shouted when he entered Bankotsu's room.

The prince's head shot up at his alerted tone. "What is it?"

"It's Furyoku. Sesshomaru's here!"

* * *

><p><strong>Things are starting to get interesting... :3 <strong>**Next chapter: Inuyasha and Sesshomaru show up. Let's see how this turns out... hehe.**

**About the whole search thing... if it's too much detail, I'll try to make everything else from now on much simpler. **

**Hope you enjoyed! ^^**

**_~FoxRain7~_  
><strong>


	8. Chapter 8: Dog's Interference

**I know I say (write) this a lot, but I'm always thankful for your reviews :)  
><strong>

**When I get lazy, I read what you say and it always keeps me going. Thank you! ^^**

**And with school starting... I hope I'll get things done in time...**

* * *

><p><strong>Darker Than Night<strong>

**Chapter 8: Dog's Interference**

"Are they attacking?" Bankotsu asked as he bolted up.

Shishinki shook his head. "They come in peace... But I have a feeling they're not here to apologize for everything they've done. They're all in the meeting room."

Bankotsu, Jakotsu and Shishinki arrived at the doors of the meeting room. Kagome and Miroku were standing outside, probably not permitted inside because of their position as servants.

The prince of Lutaru looked at Kagome, his gaze questioning.

She could only shake her head, a sign meaning she couldn't speak.

He sighed and entered the room with his two friends following him.

The emperor of Ando sat in his usual spot, and his daughter and son sat behind him, to the left and the right. His eyes showed no hostility, but he was on his guard. He didn't like Sesshomaru's company any more and Bankotsu did.

The teen's gaze fell on the dog demon for an instant. Sesshomaru was sitting in front of the emperor, his back facing Bankotsu. Inuyasha and Totosai sat next to him. Bankotsu tried hard not growl at any of them, and instead, his fist clenched hard.

He was expressionless as he passed them to sit next to Sango's father. Jakotsu and Shishinki stayed where they were, staying for a while before excusing themselves from the room.

"What is this about?" the emperor demanded. "Why are you here?"

"There's no need to get excited," Sesshomaru replied coldly. "I think you will be pleased to hear what we have to say."

"I hope that will be the case, Lord Sesshomaru."

"We would like to make an exchange," the dog demon got straight to the point.

"An exchange?" Bankotsu asked after staying silent for a while. He didn't like the sound of this.

"We can stop this whole war if you offer us the one thing we want."

Inuyasha snorted from behind his brother, "What Naraku wants, at least," but no one seemed to hear him.

Ando's emperor's eyes widened, and Sango and Kohaku gasped. Bankotsu however, frowned. It would take something _very_ important to stop a whole war. It wasn't something that could be exchanged by something mere object...

"In exchange for what then?" the emperor asked, his eyes narrowed. He too must have suspected something.

Sesshomaru's gaze then landed on Bankotsu. The prince tried not to glare at him. "Only Bankotsu will know I mean."

"Only I will?" Finally, he glared at the demon.

"We want the secret Lutaru's been hiding for all these years."

All the bones in Bankotsu's body stiffened, and the air was sucked out of his lungs.

"Absolutely not!" Jakotsu barged into the room, yelling. "Giving that away would be like giving away Bankotsu's life! You can forget that idea immediatly!"

"Jakotsu, get back in here!" Shishinki growled at him through gritted teeth. The demon's eyes were blazing just as much as Jakotsu's, also furious from Sesshomaru's declaration. "You do _not_ have any right to talk!"

"But we can't give it to them! Who knows how Naraku's gonna use it-"

"Jakotsu," Bankotsu said calmly. "Get out."

"Please forgive our intrusion," Shishinki forced a bow before grabbing Jakotsu and getting out of the room. After the two left, they could still hear Jakotsu's yelling in the hallway, wanting to go back, and the loud swearing at Shishiki.

"How bothersome," Sesshomaru sighed.

"Forgive him, he can overreact sometimes," Bankotsu said politely. But inside, he was just as furious as his two friends. _"Bastards... How dare they?" _"And may I ask where you've got this information from? When have you heard about Lutaru's secret?"

He didn't think the dog demon would give such a quick answer. "My father was informed of this before he passed away. Lord Hokotsu told him himself. Back then, we were allies."

_"Informed, my ass," _he inwardly growled. _"My old man would never give away the secret..." _But he let the excuse slip and didn't say a word. Next time he'd see Renkotsu, he decided that he'd personally slit his throat open.

"And what will happen if we do not give you what you want?" the emperor of Ando asked. Clearly, he had no idea of what they were talking about, but with all that Jakotsu had said, he had his doubts.

"Then you will prepare yourself for another battle soon."

"And we must answer now?"

"I'm afraid so."

The emperor sighed. Sango and Kohaku's anxious eyes looked at their father, both of his children disturbed just as much as he was. They had a chance to save their land from war and chaos, but in return they needed to sacrifice something as valuable as Bankotsu's life...? Or was Jakotsu just exaggerating?

Bankotsu could also tell that the old man was in a tight spot. He would be too, if he were in his place. Choosing between your ally's future ruler and your own clan is a hard choice...

He wouldn't blame him if he chose his clan's safety over Lutaru's. After all, they had just become allies recently, and there was little trust between the two clans. Furthermore, risking one life to safe possibly thousands isn't such a bad idea. And things would most likely go back to the way they once were...

_"No," _Bankotsu thought firmly. _"Jakotsu's right. If we give **it** up, who knows what will happen. Naraku's planning something, and that something's probably going to come whether we surrender **it** or not..."_

He needed to tell the emperor of this.

He opened his mouth to speak, but the king had a determined expression on his face, and Bankotsu could only manage out a "Sir-" before the ruler started giving his answer.

"We refuse."

Sango and Kohaku bit their bottom lip, looking at their father with worried eyes, their hands curled into fists on their laps, and they desperately wondered if he had made the right choice. Bankotsu's eyes were wide with shock, his mind repeating the two words over and over again.

And yet Inuyasha was the one who let out a hiss. He looked down, teeth gritted, and a small growl rose from his throat. Totosai sighed and slowly shook his head. Sesshomaru frowned, his cold eyes glaring at the emperor. "Is that your final answer?"

The emperor nodded, his expression uneven. "It is."

Sesshomaru let out a frustrated sigh. "Then you will prepare for the worst."

He stood up and walked away, Sango and her family following him from behind, since it was natural to lead your visitors outside your home. Totosai grunted as he got back up, his old bones too tired to move. Inuyasha walked out when his brother already left. Bankotsu was left alone in the room.

Kagome and Miroku waited for their masters outside the room, and they almost jumped when Sesshomaru slid the door open. Kagome watched him walk by a few steps, until his cold gaze landed on her for a short moment, and then, she didn't dare move a muscle. His amber eyes seemed to capture her, and she felt like she was trapped in a freezing cave full of snow.

As soon as Sango's father appeared behind him, though, the dog demon looked away and continued his walk to the exit. Kagome looked at Sango, asking her secretly what happened, and what she should do. Her friend shook her head, and Kagome was surprised at how worried she looked. Her master whispered, "Stay here."

The same order was given to Miroku.

The two servants watched them leave, and looked at each other, frowning. They noticed how tight the atmosphere was. He could make out the two words Kagome's lips formed silently: 'What happened?' He shook his head.

Then, Inuyasha and Totosai came out.

Kagome's breath was caught in her throat when their eyes met. She never looked at Inuyasha from this close before, and she could see every detail of his face. Except for the color, his eyes were nothing like Sesshomaru's... His were more intense. Even when he turned his head to look at Miroku, she was frozen to the spot.

"Totosai, you go on ahead," he said.

"What are you talking about, Inuyasha?" Totosai glared at the half-demon. "You've heard what they said. Sesshomaru wants to leave immediately, we have no time to waste."

He snorted. "You know I don't care about what he thinks. He can leave without me, I know how to handle myself. I just have things to do here first."

The old demon opened his large mouth to speak again, but Inuyasha snapped, "It's an order from your superior."

Totosai sighed. "Very well."

Miroku spoke, "I shall escort you back, if I may."

Inuyasha nodded. "Anyone's fine."

When the two were gone, Inuyasha faced Kagome. Questions were spinning in her mind as she remembered the effects he had on her. _"Wha... What does he want? Why did he stay here? And I'm all alone with him... Oh, I don't know what to do... What happened in there, anyways?" _She had no idea if this was good or bad.

"Hey, your name's Kagome, right? Sango's servant?" he asked.

She straightened her posture and told herself to keep calm. There was no telling what he would say to her. "Yes, that's me."

Inuyasha glanced quickly around him before nodding. "Then I suppose telling you won't put anyone in harm."

At his words, Kagome frowned, troubled. _"In harm?" _"What do you mean by that?"

"It's a long story, but I'll make it short." He lowered his voice. "There's a good reason why we became allies with Yami. It's not like we wanted to, and it's not because we want to get stronger. Sesshomaru's way too full of pride to join randomly anyone."

She nodded, and he went on, "Naraku told us that Lutaru was hiding some sort of power. A power strong enough to obliterate a whole land."

Her eyes went wide. "A power to obliterate a...?" _"Is this why they attacked Lutaru in the first place?"_

Her questions was quickly answered. "Hearing that, Sesshomaru and Naraku teamed up to destroy that power. Apparently, we came back empty handed after the Massacre. We heard Bankotsu was here, so we came to Ando to deal with this peacefully. We didn't want another fight to break out. After all, all clans were pretty damaged."

Sesshomaru's cold glare and Sango's worried expression reappeared in her mind. "And it didn't go as planned..."

He shook his head. "It didn't. And because your emperor refused, Sesshomaru's going to plan an attack. We won't attack the main temple, not just yet. Naraku thinks it's best for us to burn down a village one by one before getting to the real battle. A 'warm-up', he says."

Kagome gasped. "He can't! He wouldn't! Those villagers-" She shut her mouth, noticing how loud she was speaking, and continued, a little softer. "Those villagers didn't do anything wrong! They don't deserve it!"

Inuyasha shut his eyes closed. "That's what I think too. But I can't go against a Lord's orders, even if I am the next heir. Sesshomaru doesn't care, of course. He'll do anything to keep Furyoku safe, just like all the other Lords. Only he's a lot colder than the rest..."

"It's not fair..." she whispered. "Our emperor made the decision, so why..."

The dog sighed. "The emperor takes the responsibility. He should know what he's doing and prepare for the consequences." He sighed. "It's one of the main roles of a ruler."

_"That's right... Inuyasha's the next heir to Furyoku's throne," _she reminded herself. _"It's no surprise that he knows a lot about being a Lord..."_

"I don't think Sesshomaru's choice is fair either," he continued. "But I can't go against him. I don't have the power to do that, even if we are related by blood. And me being a half-demon, I'm sure it'll take a lot of convincing from me to change his mind."

"Do you want more power then?" she asked without thinking.

Inuyasha seemed deep in thought, and she waited patiently. "I... think I do. I don't really know. I think I already have enough, given my position. But..." He sighed again. "I don't know about here, in Ando, but half-demons aren't very appreciated in Furyoku. And when I become ruler, not many will be happy... If I had a little more power, I'd have a lot more authority over others, but more power also results to bad things..."

Kagome nodded, understanding every word he said. "So what you really searching for basically is acceptance."

He blinked, a little surprised at how quickly she could put all that explanation into a single word. "Ummm... yeah, you can say that."

"Acceptance is gained by many other things than power," she said. "Throughout history, people have gained respect and acceptance by being wise, avoiding fights for the best, making the right decisions... and even if you say that you need more power, are you not already strong enough? Lord Inutaicho was a strong demon, and he passed you his strongest sword, I've heard."

Inuyasha's hand went down to the handle of his sword. "Yeah... Though it's not the best, if you ask me. I've only seen and used two of its special techniques, though there should be more..."

"But you will become stronger and discover its secrets." She didn't seem to notice that she was talking so freely to a prince from another land- the enemy. And with a smile at that. "I'm sure Lord Sesshomaru will rule Furyoku for a long time, and I think that will be enough time for you to get stronger and eventually gain respect with the things you do. The list of ways to be accepted goes on and on.

"... Perhaps in your land, you really do need power to control your people. In Yami, it is essential for the ruler to be stronger, because... well, it's pretty obvious how cruel and selfish they are. But I don't think Furyoku is like that at all. Though the lands are separated by borders and different laws, I believe that we all have things in common. We all want to protect those dear to us, right?"

When she finished, Inuyasha was speechless. His mouth slightly open and his eyes wider than before, he stood there gaping at her, not knowing what to say.

Kagome realized then that she had spoken directly to an enemy prince - her, a servant - and blushed. She bowed deeply. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to talk so much like that, it just kinda... came out..."

Inuyasha blinked twice, surprised at her sudden change of attitude, and chuckled. She looked up nervously, wondering what he was laughing at.

She didn't expect to see him smiling gently at her. "You don't need to apologize. Lift up your head. Actually, you're right."

"Eh?" Her head flicked up.

"I'm going to gain my respect some way or another," he said. "I will get stronger. Maybe I'll just beat Myoga and Totosai a little to get some of my sword's secrets out of them. But knowing them, they'll probably keep their mouths shut." He rolled his eyes.

Kagome heard of Myoga and Totosai from others. _"They knew Inuyasha's father personally, if I recall..." _"But discovering it all yourself will make you stronger. Forgive me for saying this to you, but cheating is not the best way to gain strength."

He chuckled again, and her little heart skipped a beat, noticing how attractive he looked when he smirked. "That's true, even I deny that," he said. "I guess everyone needs to go through the hard way sometimes."

"But choosing the hard way to do it is the best way. It's all the hardship people go through that gets them respected," she pointed out. She remembered stories of Sango's father and other Lords having to live through wars, drought and many other problems concerning their land. But in the end, the leaders always saved their people. _"It isn't hard to imagine Inuyasha like that at all," _she thought to herself.

"Yeah." He smiled at her, and Kagome felt her face grow hot. She hoped the blush wasn't bright enough for him to see it. "You know... I think we would have made really good friends if we were born in the same clan," he said gently.

His words warmed up her heart, and she could only smile back. "Yeah... I think so too."

"You never know, though," he continued, "Maybe after our deaths, we'll meet again in another life. One where borders don't exist. And who knows what'll happen then." He chuckled.

"Who knows... huh..." Kagome stared at him, smiling warmly. _"I think I know... what would happen..."_

At that moment, the door to the meeting room slammed open and Bankotsu was in between the two of them in a flash. Glaring more than just daggers at the half-demon, he growled through gritted teeth, "Don't you think you should be going by now?"

Inuyasha remained frozen in shock for another second, and he replied with the same cold eyes, "My stay here doesn't concern you. This isn't your temple, may I remind you."

The warm atmosphere turned into a battlefield in a snowstorm. With the glares the two men were giving each other, anyone would expect them to jump at each other's throats any second.

"No one's comfortable with an enemy like you around," he sneered. "Who knows when you'll launch an attack like the one during the Massacre. Two clans going against one, I've never seen Furyoku do such a cowardly thing".

Kagome saw Inuyasha stiffen, and yelled at the man blocking her way. "Bankotsu, stop it! You don't-"

"I know what I'm doing!" he snapped. Taking a step closer to Inuyasha, he said very slowly, "Leave... Now."

The dog demon's eyes were as cold as Sesshomaru's when he spoke, and Kagome could finally see the resemblance between the two brothers. However, she was shocked to see him so furious. "With pleasure."

Without even a glance at the two, he passed by the miko and followed the route Miroku took to lead Totosai to the exit. Kagome watched him leave, feeling a huge weight crushing her heart with every step he took.

Her fist trembling with anger, she whipped around and yelled, "What was all that about?"

Bankotsu frowned, wondering why she was so mad. "He had to leave. I couldn't take the sound of his voice. And after that type of meeting, I want nothing more than for him to be gone."

She felt the anger rise up to her head. "But did you have to treat him so coldly? He could've left if you asked!"

"I highly doubt it, that mutt would never listen to a word I said," he protested, annoyed. He was starting to lose his temper again. A horrible thought suddenly crossed his mind, and he yelled accusingly, "Don't tell me you were actually _enjoying_ his presence!"

Kagome stiffened. Almost immediatly after, she lied, her own voice tone rising, "I can't believe you'd actually think that!"

"Then explain to me all that talking and laughing," he growled. "Those little eyes you were shining at him, it makes me sick!"

"I'm allowed to enjoy talking to people, aren't I? I'd rather avoid a fight, unlike what you tried to do!" she yelled, stomping on her foot. "He's not what you think he is! He isn't cruel or heartless, and he certainly is nothing like _coward who can't take care of his country_!"

Bankotsu froze. His teeth clenched and his hands curled into fists. He got closer to her, and looked at her straight in the eye. Kagome was so shocked that all her anger disappeared. He glared at her so coldly, you'd think his blue eyes turned to ice. His voice was unrecognizable when he sneered, "You really don't understand, do you?"

She couldn't even reply. She didn't understand, and she could only mutter a "I..."

It was all it took for Bankotsu to take off. He brushed past her and walked away. Kagome stayed at the same spot until she couldn't hear his footsteps anymore. It was then that she finally turned around and realized what that he was gone.

Panicking, she ran off to where he went. "Bankotsu! Wait!"

When she reached the end of the hallway, he was nowhere to be seen.

Kagome fell to her knees and stared at the floor. The scene from just a few seconds ago replayed over and over in her head. _"You really don't understand, do you?" _What did he mean by that?

But that wasn't what bothered her the most. It was his eyes. His blue eyes were still glowering at her in her mind, she just couldn't shake them off. Because there wasn't just anger in them.

They also had hurt.

~O*O~

"Bankotsu."

The young prince turned looked up from the ground and saw Shishinki and Jakotsu staring at him. His best friend came up next to him and asked him with worried eyes, "How did it go?"

He sighed. "Good, for us, if you want. Lord Isamu **(AN: Yes, I had to give him a name) **decided that he won't give anything away." He wanted nothing more than to go to his room and rest. The fight he had with Kagome just didn't do him any good, and he wanted to forget about it... but he couldn't.

Shishiki narrowed his eyes. "But there's a bad side to that decision, isn't there?"

"As usual. Sesshomaru's going to attack."

"What? Are they going to attack the temple?" Jakotsu asked.

The demon shook his head. "That wouldn't be wise. I'm sure after the Massacre, we've left some of their warriors injured too. They wouldn't go for a full attack at Ando temple, where there are still many, _many _healthy soldiers ready for battle."

"Then they'll probably start by attacking a small village," Bankotsu said. "They'll warn us just how serious they can get."

"I don't like the sound of that," the cross-dresser said as he rested a hand on his hip. "If he really is going to attack villages, then it won't be long before the emperor decides to send troops to some parts... and when our soldiers are gone, Naraku's gonna take his chance to destroy the temple, right?"

The two men stared at the cross-dresser. "What?"

Shishinki snickered. "Well what do you know, there is actually something under that little head of yours. I'm surprised."

Jakotsu snorted. "I'm not that much of a dope."

"This is going to cause a lot of trouble," Bankotsu sighed. "Even if it isn't my people, killing the villagers for what their emperor decided isn't right. It isn't even their fault."

"A kingdom is nothing without the villages. But that's what you'd expect from Furyoku and Yami, I suppose," Shishinki grunted. "Heartless bastards are thinking of burning two whole clans to the ground."

The prince flinched at the word 'heartless'. He still couldn't shake the nasty feeling Kagome's words left in his head. How she couldn't understand. How she dared to take Inuyasha's side. But most importantly, how she and that half-demon were talking to each other with such ease. And how she seemed - no, how she _was_ - enjoying it all.

He told himself that he'd be able to forget about it if he discussed about the current situation with the two standing before him. "Even if they do send troops, though, people will die. Soldiers and villagers. The question is, how many will be sacrificed?"

But even after saying that, he still couldn't forget.

"You shouldn't worry about it too much," Jakotsu said. "Ando's pretty strong. They'll make it through, surely."

"He's right."

Bankotsu turned around and found the emperor walking towards them. He continued, "Our soldiers are recuperating rather quickly, they're all very strong, and we have a few to spare. In fact, some of the villagers know how to fight pretty well too."

"I knew it. What did I tell ya?" Jakotsu whispered as he rolled his eyes. Shishinki elbowed his side to shut him up, and managed to make him let out a tiny whimper.

"So you'll send out some troops right now?" Bankotsu asked.

"Already have. Sango and Kohaku are informing captains and soldiers of the situation as we speak," he said. "But more importantly, Bankotsu, we have things to talk about."

He inwardly sighed. _"I'm not liking the sound of this."_

The three men followed Lord Isamu to another smaller room than the meeting room. Bankotsu's eyes roamed around, and he realized it look very similar to the one he was staying in. _"So this is his room?" _

The walls were painted with golden dragons, each looking like they were going to jump off the walls and slither away. Swords hung on them, their hilt glowing in the sunlight. However, it was a huge boomerang next to a wardrobe that caught the prince's eye. _"How is anybody able to handle something like that?"_

Thinking that it would be rude if he asked later on, he averted his gaze to keep his mind off of it.

As the emperor sat down on a cushion, he motioned for him and his friends to do the same. Bankotsu stared at the cushions for a long time. Just by looking at them, he could tell that they were comfy and filled with soft wool, and the perfect heron stitched into it didn't need to tell him that it was expensive. It looked nothing like what he had in Lutaru. The ones he had were a shade darker, and you could easily tell it was filled with feathers. Mostly from Abi's birds, but that was a secret.

Shishinki hissed at him under his breath, and he came back to reality. As they settled themselves, Lord Isamu sighed before speaking, "You know why we're here, don't you?"

The prince nodded. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure I know what you're thinking."

"Let's get straight to the point then." The emperor straightened his back. "Can you tell me about this secret you're hiding?"

"No," Shishinki answered immediately. "Forgive my interference, Lord Isamu, but this is Lutaru's business. It always has been, and it always will." Sango's father eyed him suspiciously, and he went on, "This is not a small thing we can go over in a few minutes. Even among us Lutaru generals, it is forbidden to even speak of it. Believe us, we want nothing more than to forget about it all."

"Shishinki," Bankotsu interrupted. The demon bowed his head in respect, and the prince sighed. Looking straight at the emperor, he said, "I'm sorry we can't tell you more than this... but that's all we have to say."

Lord Isamu frowned. "I see..."

There was defiance in his eyes, one thing Bankotsu certainly did not want to see from his ally. He was going to lose Ando's complete trust, perhaps, but there was nothing he could do. _"All because of that damn Renkotsu...!" _he cursed.

"Jakotsu was serious when he said that it would be like giving away Bankotsu's life," Shishinki suddenly said. Everyone looked at him, waiting for more. "It absolutely must not reach Naraku's hands, no matter the-."

"So we're talking about an object here," Lord Isamu suddenly interrupted.

The three men froze, and Shishinki replied, head bowed, "... Yes."

The emperor sighed. "And I suppose you won't tell me any more than that?" No one answered. "Very well. Bankotsu." The young prince lifted his gaze to meet his. "Whatever you're hiding from me, it sounds dangerous. But I won't ask for more details, because I'm already busy with Furyoku. And if I'm going to try to forget about this, it means that I trust that you won't betray us and join Naraku."

Bankotsu was shocked. _"He's gonna try to forget about this...?"_

"However," Lord Isamu said curtly, "This is the only time." His eyes told all three men that there really wasn't going to be a second time if they kept another secret. "Understood?"

The prince bowed, and his two friends followed. "Yes."

~O*O~

After Sango finished informing some generals and soldiers about what happened at the meeting, she went up the stairs to go to her room. She stretched her arms out as she walked in the hallway. _"All that moving around and talking... To think I'd get this tired..."_

Kirara, who had been by her side ever since Sesshomaru left, mewed and jumped onto her master's shoulder. Sango giggled when she felt her cat's fur brush her cheek. "That's not fair. You're able to take a rest anywhere you want." _  
><em>

She looked outside and stared at the sun high in the sky. She could smell the chefs cooking fish and meat, and could hear the main cook snapping orders at the newbies. _"It's noon, so everyone should be busy right now..."_

Just as she started walking again, someone bumped into her, and she flinched, drawing back. "Ow!" Kirara skittered to the other shoulder, sniffed where her master had been hit, and started licking the spot.

Before even looking back up, Sango apologized, "I'm sorry, I should have seen where I was going..."

And when she saw Kagome, she was surprised at how terrible her expression looked. Her eyes were dull, yet troubled, so unlike the bright eyes her master was used to see. "Kagome? What's wrong? You don't look so good..."

Only then did her servant realized what she had done. She looked surprised, and blinked a few times before giving a small lifeless smile. "Oh, sorry, Sango. You don't need to apologize, it's my fault, I didn't see you there."

Sango narrowed her eyes. Instead of asking her a question on the spot, she gently took her friend's shoulder and said, "Let's go to my room and get you fixed up." Kagome didn't even object on their way there.

When Sango closed the doors behind her as she entered her room, she sighed. Glancing at Kagome who was sitting on a small cushion, she wondered what could have gotten her friend so messy. It was hard to bring her spirits down, though ever since Lutaru came to their home, that seemed to have changed...

She sat on the cushion across Kagome and said, "Tell me what's wrong."

Her friend didn't say anything. Sango pushed on, "I don't want to have to make that an order, especially when it's you. Come on, you can tell me."

The miko sighed and resumed everything that had happened in the hallway after the meeting. As she summarized how she talked with Inuyasha and the fight between her and Bankotsu, Sango only nodded.

"I see..." After she finished talking, her master spoke. "So he got mad. I wouldn't be surprised, you know. I mean, Inuyasha is the next heir of the enemy clan."

"I can understand that," Kagome said quietly, "But he treated him so coldly..."

Sango poured herself some tea. She gave a cup to her friend, and they sipped. "I don't think you really understand it, Kagome. You may know a good side to Inuyasha, but that won't change the fact that we're enemies, and that we can't trust them. If Inuyasha was getting all sweet on you, I'd probably react the same way. Some girls can easily get fooled by men's looks, inluding me."

"I guess you're right," Kagome said, still unconvinced.

The princess narrowed her eyes. "There's something else to it, isn't there?"

She nodded slowly and hugged her knees to her chest. "It was the look in his eyes before he left."

"Huh?" Sango tilted her head.

"When Bankotsu called Inuyasha a coward for teaming up with Naraku to go against him. When we were left alone, I told him that Inuyasha was nothing like a coward who can't take care of his country. And then he said that I didn't understand..."

"Oh my goodness, Kagome," Sango facepalmed. "I cannot believe you said that."

"I said something wrong, didn't I?" The servant sighed and hid her head in her arms. "His eyes... he looked hurt after that..."

"Of course he would be!" her master exclaimed. "Kagome, his temple, his home was destroyed by Furyoku and Yami, it's natural for him to insult Inuyasha for that. The feeling of losing is terrible, especially when it's because the fight isn't fair. And since he's the next ruler, he feels worse than anyone else.

"Also, you should know that he's doing his best to take care of what's left of his army. And with his father's disappearance, there isn't many people who can help him, other than Shishinki and perhaps my father. He's going through very hard times right now, and with you saying all that..."

She trailed off and waited for her friend's reaction. She saw Kagome's shoulders tremble and called gently, "Kagome?"

The servant replied, her voice muffled from her head burried in her arms and her light sobbing. "I'm such an idiot."

Sango smiled softly and sat next to her friend, rubbing her back gently. "I should have known," Kagome whimpered. "I went so harsh on him just because of some insult at Inuyasha, someone I've barely known for two hours..."

"Hey, you can always take it back," the princess said quietly. "The best way to show how guilty you feel is by apologizing."

Kagome looked up. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and as Sango wiped them, she sniffed. "Do you think he'll forgive me? I mean, this is the second time I'm did something bad to him..."

"If he won't forgive someone like you, then he's an ass," she said, smiling. "He'll forgive you, I promise. By the way," she snickered. "For you to cry like this, you must really like him, huh?"

"...What?" Kagome blushed and wiped the rest of her tears away.

"Don't play dumb with me, you've been spending a lot of time with him ever since he got here," Sango giggled. "I'm surprised though. I thought you'd go after someone like Koga or Takeo..."

"What are you talking about, Sango?" she exclaimed, her face now bright red. All her tears have disappeared. "Th-they're just friends, and there's nothing serious going on between me and Bankotsu...!"

"Right," Sango rolled her eyes. "Nice try but-"

"Big Sister!" Kohaku burst into the room, breathless. "I have new orders from Father."

~O*O~

That night, after filling his stomach with Ando's cooking, Bankotsu was on his way to his room. Even after a good feast with Hiten and the rest of his pals, he wasn't in his best mood.

_"I might have gotten too used to having her by my side everyday," _he thought as he walked down the empty hallway. The bright orange lanterns didn't make the place look any less gloomier. He told himself countless times that he should just forget about it, that it wasn't a big deal, but the thought kept coming back, each time more disturbing than before.

_"What am I going to do when I meet her?" _he groaned inwardly. He didn't want to see her, he only wanted to forget. A fight with a woman never bothered him this much before, so why now? _"Maybe I should just let someone else hang with her..."_

But the thought of having another man next to Kagome annoyed him, especially those Thunder Brothers. And having Abi look over her would creep her out.

He suddenly came to a halt when he saw Sango looking outside to the indoor-garden. The hole Bankotsu made the week before was all patched up and looked brand new. He was glad and proud that his men had done such a fine job.

The princess noticed he was there and greeted him with a grin. "Hello, Bankotsu. Beautiful night, don't you think?"

Bankotsu faked a smile and replied, "I suppose so. Not everyday you see a clear sky like this one. The moon and stars are shining so bright we wouldn't need fire tonight."

After a moment of silence, Sango suddenly said, "I know what happened during the meeting."

His smile disappeared and he stiffened. "By the way, I told her to tell me. She looked very dull and lifeless when I found her, you know." She didn't even glance at him. "I've never seen her like that. She can't be brought down so easily, you see. She's always so happy and bright, almost never mad... But today, I guess you and I were both shocked. Her too."

He didn't say a word. He didn't know what to say anyways. All day, he's only been telling himself to forget it. That he should forget about her. But he hadn't once thought of how she must have felt. And he felt like an ass for that.

"She's really sorry, you know," Sango said as she finally looked at him. "So sorry she starting crying a little when she realized what she did wrong. So no, she did not understand why you were mad. But once she figured it out... I think she'd do anything for you to forgive her."

_"To the point of crying..." _He was shocked to hear it, and he could feel his eyes widen.

"... You are going to forgive her, right?" There was a hint of threat in her tone. In her eyes also, he could tell that if she did not get the answer she wanted, she'd threaten him some more. This was how the princess of Ando was. Very protective of her friends.

He chuckled a little. "I can't stay mad at her forever."

She smiled. "Good. Because I don't think she'd be able to take it if she couldn't talk to you again," she whispered.

"What?" Bankotsu blinked.

"Oh, nothing," she said with a giggle.

"... So where is she now, if she isn't with you?" he asked. "Her being your servant, she should be following you, right?"

She shook her head and looked back at the garden. "That's not true. I give her a lot more freedom than regular servants. She's been my best friend ever since she came here, so I don't want to control her life." He noticed that she was staring at the tree she and Kagome must have planted when they were kids. "Proof: I let her be with you when she can."

"I suppose you're right. Then you don't know where she went?"

"Oh, you don't know?" she tilted her head. "Didn't you see the big group going out earlier today?" Bankotsu shook his head. "We started sending a few soldiers to the villages, in case Yami and Furyoku attack.

"Kagome's leading the group that's going protect the village she was born in."

* * *

><p><strong>...<strong>

**Kagome's a liar! :O**

**And since it's taking some time for me to update, I know people can forget what happened before... so if you'd like, I can leave a 'Last time...' at the beginning to refresh your memory. Just ask :)**

**So next time... hopefully more Sesshy and Inuyasha.**

**_~FoxRain7~_  
><strong>


	9. Chapter 9: Welcome Home

**Oh my goodness. All these projects. And it's been over a month, I think. x.x**

**HUGE thank you to Tempest78, scorpioprincess18, and everyone else who have been encouraging me from the start! I've gotten this far thanks to you all, your reviews kept me up and going everytime I read them! ^^**

* * *

><p><strong>Darker Than Night<strong>

**Chapter 9: Welcome Home**

**Last time...**

"Kagome's leading the group that's going protect the village she was born in."

~O*O~

Kagome took a deep breath as she entered her village's entrance. She looked back at the soldiers behind her, and they waited patiently for her to make another move.

"There's nothing to be afraid of, you know," a female archer rested a hand on her friend's shoulder. "The people here are still the people you know. Things change after two years, but they'll still recognize you."

"That's not what I'm afraid of, Aki," Kagome smiled gently and looked at the doors of the village again. "I'm worried about the attacks. For all we know, my village may be the first one on the list to be taken out."

"We'll be fine," Aki reassured her. "There's a reason why we brought other soldiers with us. And I don't want to brag, but my aim's gotten a lot better after that competition we had a few months ago. We'll protect this village with our lives."

Kagome nodded. "Thanks."

Just as she took five steps into the village, a group of children passed by her feet, almost making her trip. When she looked around some more, she realized that, just as Aki said, not much has changed.

Elders were resting in the warm morning sun, and the children were playing around, waiting for their parents to return from the fields. There weren't many teenagers, probably because they were helping their parents or had some work to do. Other women were just chatting with baskets filled with fruits they picked earlier. The village was full of life despite the change of seasons. "_Autumn is going to get things chillier..."_

The miko looked around, searching for either her brother, but Sota wasn't among the children she spotted. She glanced at a group of women and wondered if her mother was there with them. But she shook her head and walked ahead. _"I'll check on them later. I have to find the village chief first."_

As they walked ahead, the villagers only gave quick glances at the soldiers, and started whispering to each other. Their eyes weren't hostile or unwelcoming. Rather... they looked worried.

The children continued playing, but they made way when the soldiers passed by, and stared at them in wonder. Kagome heard some of the kids ask 'who are they?' and 'why are they here?' to their parents. The adults did not respond.

_"I'm not surprised they're troubled," _Kagome thought, _"They know what happened to Lutaru. It's natural for them to wonder what news we bring with us about the war... whether good or not."_

From the corner of her eye, she saw a girl of her age running to one of the men in her group. She could hear the girl whispering in a worried tone, "Ryuto, is everything alright? Why did you come here with so many people?"

The man named Ryuto whispered back in a reassuring tone, "Everything's going to be alright. I'll go see you as soon as I can and tell you."

Kagome could tell the girl wasn't satisfied with his answer, but after hearing a small 'chu', the miko guessed that she went away. Almost immediatly after, the other men started teasing Ryuto, and the leader rolled her eyes.

"It must be nice to have a lover to come back to," Aki commented with a smile as she looked back at the group of men. "I mean, the joy of seeing them again and knowing that they're waiting for you..."

"But it makes both sides worried sick, don't you think?" Kagome replied. "While we're gone, they could find another lover. They could die without us knowing. Separation is never the best feeling of the world. It's already bad enough with me leaving my family."

"You may have a point, but..." Aki hesitated. "... If I had a guy waiting for me back home, I'd definitely be happy to know that he believes in me. And during battles, I'd think of him. I'd tell myself that I had to stay alive for him, that I had something to protect."

"You mean you don't already think that?" Kagome raised a brow and smiled.

"Uh-! That's not what I mean! I fight with everything I've got in battles, of course. I know I have something to protect. But... Maybe I just want to be in love with someone, you know? Someone who would hold me in the darkest times, a man who would stay by my side and listen and talk and laugh..."

Kagome stopped her. "Not trying to make you feel bad, Aki, but I don't think there's a guy in the world who would fit with your description. Guys have their limits too." She shrugged. "Besides, we're still young. There's a lot of time ahead of us."

"You don't know that for sure, Kagome." The archer shook her head. "For all we know, we could die tomorrow because of the war. Don't you want to know how being in love feels like?"

The miko looked at the sky and wondered. Of course, she listened to her friends talk about the handsome men, about their crushes. And she always noticed how light-headed the girls seemed, or how they'd try to hide a smile whenever others teased them.

Kagome knew Sango liked Miroku for a long while. Though she didn't talk about him like other girls did, whenever Kagome asked about their relationship Sango would turn red and only give small details, though her friend made her spill it all out eventually. _"I wonder... How **does** it feel like?"_

Suddenly, Bankotsu's face came into mind. She could picture his smile clearly and could hear his voice as if he were standing right next to her. She remembered how she reacted when Sango asked about him, how she felt flustered and they way all her words came out in a hurry.

Now that she thought about it, it was almost the same reaction she'd get from Sango.

_"Am I... really in love?" _she thought as a small blush appeared on her cheeks.

But immediately after, all thought of love disappeared.

_"I didn't apologize," _she thought with regret. _"And worst, I left without telling him anything..." _Even after Sango's comforting words, she couldn't get rid of the feeling of hurt and regret lingering in her heart. Regret because of what she said, hurt because of the look in his eyes...

"Kagome? You okay?" Aki asked, but she didn't listen.

She shook her head. _"Regretting isn't going to get me anywhere." _Determined, she vowed, _"As soon as I get back to the temple, I'll apologize. I just hope he'll forgive me..." _But nothing guaranteed that their relationship would stay the way it once was.

After speaking with the village elders, the soldiers were free to go where they wanted, but were told to stay close to the main district. In a matter of minutes, they could see panic in the villagers' eyes. Though they knew the soldiers were there to protect them from any harm, they weren't reassured. They knew what happened during the Massacre and heard of all the deaths. If a whole temple could be wiped out, what chances did a tiny village have of surviving?

Kagome tried to avoid the worried gazes as she walked home. Even the children suddenly stopped playing. She wanted to tell them that everything would be okay, but she knew it would be useless. Saying something that she wasn't even sure of wouldn't help.

_"For the moment, I just want to see Mom and Sota..."_

When she finally arrived at a small hut, she poked her head in and looked around. She didn't see anyone, and she called, "Mom? It's Kagome!" Still no answer.

The miko narrowed her eyes. "I'm coming in!" She took off her shoes and took a closer look inside. Nothing seemed to have changed, this was her house. Perhaps her mother was out in the fields. And she wouldn't be surprised if Sota was playing with others somewhere else. Despite that, she still felt nervous...

She went deeper into her house and looked around, watching where she put her feet since she knew Sota's things could be found anywhere. In a dark corner, the futons were folded neatly, and she walked over to them. There were two baskets lying next to them, and she crouched down to examine them. The first was completely empty, and the other only held two radish.

Other than that, nothing else seemed to be out of shape. The utensils were where they always were, everything was clean and well, just how her mother wanted things to be. But there was a feeling of emptiness in the small room... _"What do I do now?" _she wondered as she stood back up. _"Maybe I'll go visit some of my friends..."_

"Kagome?" She heard a voice coming from behind and turned around.

Her mother was standing at the door, her hands holding baskets of fruits and vegetables. Her eyes were wide and it seemed like her jaw would fall to the ground. Kagome couldn't tell if it was surprise she saw in her eyes or if it was relief.

The teenager smiled nervously, "H-hi Mom... How are you do-"

She found herself suffocating in her mother's arms before she could even finish her greeting. Hearing her mother's soft sobbing, she smiled gently and hugged her back. "I'm home," she whispered.

"Welcome back," her mother whimpered back between the sobs.

~O*O~

"Bankotsu! Wake up!"

The prince of Lutaru groaned. He blinked as the sunlight hit his eyes, and he grumbled even more. Jakotsu screamed in his ear, "Come on! Wake up! Today's the day!"

"I know that," he mumbled as he sat up. The cross-dresser was already dressed and equipped with everything they needed for Lord Hokotsu's search. _"Right..." _he remembered. _"I have to search for Dad today..." _He couldn't believe he almost forgot.

He ran his fingers through his long black hair and sighed. _"I shouldn't have stayed up so late last night..." _He thought about Sango's words over and over again. _"Kagome's leading the group that's going protect the village she was born in." _

_"But Kagome said she didn't know where her village was located," _he told himself in frustration. _"She couldn't be leading one of those groups, surely? But Sango knew she was going to her village, so Kagome must have told her... But she couldn't have lied to me, right? She isn't that kind of person..."_

The more he thought of it, the more confusing it got. He didn't understand. He didn't believe Kagome could lie to him, especially after what she did the first day they met... _"But that wasn't her fault!" _

His friend narrowed his eyes as he watched the prince frown more and more. "What's going on? With all the preparations you've made for the past few days, I thought you'd be awake before me... Did something happen yesterday with Sesshomaru? Other than that attack about... you know..."

Bankotsu sighed and shook his head. "It's nothing, don't worry." He braided his hair and got up.

Jakotsu wasn't convinced. "Doesn't seem like nothing to me." He watched his friend walk around, searching for his armor. "You'd be running around in a big rush, and usually, _you _would be the one getting _me_ out of bed."

"Let's say I had a rough night. I bet anyone could hear you snoring from the end of the hallway," he snickered, trying to hide his confused feelings. He picked up his armor and started searching for his equipment right away.

But that snicker didn't trick him. Still having his doubts, the cross-dresser raised a brow. "It isn't like you to be late for an important event like this... You sure everything's okay? You aren't nervous, are you?"

When Bankotsu didn't respond, he whispered, "And do I really snore that loudly?"

The prince rolled his eyes. "Yeah. Kept me up for a long while. And don't worry too much, I'm fine... It's just that something happened yesterday that kinda got me off guard. Stayed up most of the night thinking about it..."

Jakotsu frowned, feeling troubled. "Is it about Renkotsu?"

"Nope, for once." He sighed. He kept quiet after that to end the conversation. But apparently, his best friend wouldn't keep it that way.

"So it's about that girl."

He inwardly groaned. "Is it always the second subject you come up with whenever I'm acting weird?" Looking around him one last time, he added, "And where's all the equipment? The flares are important."

Jakotsu left the room to go get them. He answered in the other room, "I can kinda guess by now. Since she's the only one who knows about Renkotsu, there must be problems with her as well." Coming back in, he threw him all the stuff. "Here ya go."

Bankotsu caught most of the items with one hand, but some fell. He started packing all the supplies into bags. "Thanks. And she isn't the type to get into trouble easily, you should know that."

"Then what's the problem? You don't seem like you're in a rush either. Whenever there's something on your mind, you're disturbed by it for the next five hours, until something good shows up. I've experienced that for eighteen years. You have to focus on what we're doing, especially today!"

"I'm telling you, I'm fine!" he snapped. "I'm perfectly under control."

"Then why are you putting the signal fires in our stash of food?"

Bankotsu looked down and found the fire sticks mushed into the raw beef. He face palmed knowing that he'll have to give Jakotsu a full explanation. He quickly picked up them up and placed them into the right bag without a word.

His friend sighed. "I'm not really doing my job as your 'servant' by letting you get troubled like this. And don't deny it- I know something's on your mind. And I won't be the only one to notice it if you act weirdly."

"I'm not gonna act-"

"Liar. Once it starts the morning, you can't go back, especially if it kept you up at night."

When he got no answer, he continued, "I'm not gonna force you to tell me, but I do think you have to tell these things to someone. And I think that person would be me, cause you know I understand you best," he said with a hint of pride in his tone.

"... And I especially don't want to see you get hurt or all weird like this."

Bankotsu remained quiet, until he stood up and walked towards the door. Turning back to his friend, he smiled. One of his natural smiles everyone loved to see. "Come on. Let's go eat and gather everyone up."

~O*O~

Kagome was walking in the streets with her mother. She held two baskets which were going to be filled with fruits in a few minutes. As she spoke with her mother, talking about how she was doing at the royal temple, she looked around and waved at the Ando soldiers. To some, she would give a stare to remind them that they had to be on their guard for attacks.

She also noticed that among all the children she saw, she couldn't find her brother. "Say Mom, where's Sota?" she asked.

"Oh, I forgot to tell you." Her mother smiled. "The village elders made a yard just for the children. It's not too far from the fields, a little towards the forest, but not deep enough for the demons to catch them. You know, that area where children used to play with pets? He's been getting up early every morning just to play," she giggled.

"Nothing can separate him and his ball," the daughter added with a grin.

"Is he going to be back before lunch time?" she asked as she looked up at the sun almost high in the sky. "Or is he going to eat at one of his friends' house?"

"With word spreading about you coming back, I doubt he'll stay somewhere else," her mother said with a wink. "He really misses you, you know. He was rather lonely when you left. He didn't have many people to talk to, and he had difficulty in his training..."

Kagome blinked in surprised. "You're kidding."

She shook her head. "I'm not. With you gone, the only support he has is me and a few of his friends. But you were always the one giving him advice for training, so he's had hard times."

"Did something happen other than that?" she asked, suddenly worried that another kid might be bullying him.

"No, no. He just wants to see his older sister," her mother said, a warm glow of affection in her eyes. "And though training's gotten harder for him, he's doing his best. Working on his spear skills is the second thing he does most, after playing with his ball, of course."

The young miko sighed in relief. "At least he's doing his best. I remember when he first started, he didn't want to use a spear at all. He'd be jealous of the other kids with swords."

"But he likes it a lot more now," her mother said with s smile. She bowed to someone they passed by, and continued, "He likes things lighter. I'm thinking of getting one for his birthday, perhaps a spear from the east side..."

"Oh! That's right!" Kagome exclaimed. "It's almost his brithday!" _"I can't believe I forgot..." _Feeling guilty, she let her head hang down and sighed.

Her mother smiled and placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "It's alright, dear. I'm sure you're very busy with everything that's happening..." And she whispered, "By the way, those Lutaru soldiers aren't doing anything bad to you, are they?"

Kagome shook her head and reassured, "No, no, Mom. They're okay, I guess. Sure, there are some problems, but nothing too serious... And nothing happened to me either," she lied. _"If I told her about Bankotsu and the whole situation with Renkotsu... how would she react?" _

"And besides," she added a little quietly, "They've been through so much. And the prince is having a hard time dealing with his soldiers since Lord Hokotsu is missing... Especially since he's so young."

"I see... In the end, no matter the boundaries, we're all humans and demons serving our king." She looked at the sky and at the people around her.

The two women could hear the merchants encouraging people to buy their items and food, the flap of birds' wings as they children ran to them, and women and men laughing as they talked about their day. The village was very much alive. A sharp pain stabbed Kagome in the stomac. Would it all disappear one day? Will the attack and war destroy all of this and wash away the life of the village?

"Oh, look! It's Hojo," her mother suddenly said lively.

Kagome looked ahead and gave small smile to the brown-haired boy walking towards her. She hoped she sounded happy when she greeted him. "Hi, Hojo. Nice to see you again."

He grinned full-heartedly. "I'm so glad you're okay. You didn't get sick, right? No fever or anything after the battle?"

"Nothing like that, dont worry about it," she assured him. _"Good old Hojo, so worried about everyone's health..." _"Anyways," she continued, "How are you doing? I imagine you volunteered to become a doctor?"

"Of course. I want to do what I can to keep everyone healthy." He took a step closer. "Especially you. Who knows what kind of sickness can infect you in the battlefield. Not to mention that a lot of injured soldiers are in the royal temple now..."

He looked very worried, and his tone dropped, almost turning into a whisper, "You sure you don't need more doctors over there? You can always ask some villagers. And I know a few things myself..."

"That doesn't sound like bad idea," Kagome mother said with a smile.

Kagome disliked the thought of having Hojo around the temple. With how weak he was when it came to defending himself, he wouldn't last long. And her mother wasn't really helping. "No, you really shouldn't," she said quickly. "The doctors there are trained with weapons in case of attack, and unless you've been living there for a long time, you'll get lost really easily... And the older doctors won't have time to teach the apprentices anything at the moment."

The boy's expression fell. "Oh... I see. Yes, I understand."

The miko knew he was interested in her. And when she was younger, she tried to see what she would like about him, she tried to return his feelings. But she couldn't. And when she realized that, she tried to stay away from him, so he would get over her. However, with every chance he'd get, he'd stick to her. And it annoyed her... She wished he would just realize it and leave, but he didn't...

Despite how disturbing his company could be, she felt sorry for it. "I'm sorry, really. But the people here need you more. We're doing fine at the temple, so don't worry too much."

That brought a small smile to his lips. "Alright. If you say so."

After talking to each other for another moment, Hojo left. When he seemed to be out of sight, and after walking for another short moment, Kagome's mother sighed. "Why don't you want to spend time with him? You know he missed you so much after you left. And he's interested in you, so why don't you want to learn more about him? He has changed so much."

"I know, Mom," Kagome tried not to sound annoyed, and groaned inwardly. "It's just... I can't see him as anything more than a friend."

Her mother sounded disappointed. "So you don't even see him as a brother...?" Her daughter didn't answer. She then asked, "Then is there someone else? Is there someone you like in the royal temple?"

Kagome almost tripped. She looked back at the mother, eyes wide, cheeks slightly red, and stuttered, "W-where did you get that idea from?"

"I guessed because you don't like Hojo, maybe someone else would be in your life."

"Just because I don't like him doesn't mean I'm interested in someone else, Mom! Besides," she added as she looked away, "I don't think I have time for romance right now. I've got a lot to do with Sango already."

"I'm just saying you should be taking a break, that's all," the woman said with a giggle. "But are you sure there's absolutely no one? It's not like I'm going to meet him anytime soon, unless he came with you to the village. I won't talk about it too much, I'd just like to know his name."

Kagome looked up at the sky and wondered as the faces of men she was close to flashed by. Miroku was already taken, she was glad of that. There were many people in the archery unit she used to hang out with, but ever since she graduated from training, she wasn't able to see many of her old friends due to her status. Most of the time, she'd only see the generals and officers with Sango, but rarely more than that...

Thinking about the time she spent in her old unit, she thought of Takeo. That boy became her rival ever since the day they met. In their very first ten minutes of training, he had already pushed her into a bush. On purpose.

Her black hair was full of tiny branches and leaves, making it look really prickly. Thus, her nickname 'hedgehog'. Just to make things fair, she decided to give him a nickname too. The random white patch on one side of his hair was one of the first things she noticed. And so, 'snowflake' was born.

She couldn't imagine him as a lover. Never. Though he had the looks, she didn't find him right for her. Next came Koga. The wolf demon had always been kind to her, but... she knew it couldn't be him. It just didn't seem right.

When she thought outside of the royal temple, she could think of Inuyasha and Bankotsu. There was always something that attracted her to Inuyasha, from the very beginning, but she didn't know what it was. she couldn't tell if it was love or not. Though that one real conversation they had at the temple warmed her heart and made her smile like an idiot. And even if she did like him, getting together would be impossible. _"I don't think his brother would ever allow it anyways," _she thought with a shudder.

And Bankotsu... what was there about him? She could already tell that he was loyal, strong, proud, cocky, not to mention very attractive. His good mood was contagious, and his laugh made her smile. And his gorgeous blue eyes... They could hold so much emotion. Even after losing his father, watching his soldiers die, he kept strong and continued to look ahead. For that only, she respected him.

But she still couldn't figure it out. She had felt her heart beat faster a few times when she was around him. Did that immediately mean she was in love? She didn't believe it.

Suddenly a scream brought her back to her senses.

And then an explosion.

In a few seconds, demon fell down from the sky, landing on their large feet and causing a big 'BOOM' as it landed, and more screams could be heard. Some landed on houses, and the sound of material breaking was everywhere. Children screamed and cried. Bones cracked and bodies started falling one by one.

Kagome's eyes were wide as she looked around her. It was all happening too fast.

She whipped around and yelled to her mother, "Try to get to safety! Hide if you can!"

She couldn't tell if her parent had already left. Smoke was starting to form. Kagome could see some soldiers coming out of houses and protecting other villagers. She screamed, "Ando soldiers! Get ready to fight!" But she didn't know if they could hear her over all the screaming.

"Kagome!" She whipped around and saw Aki running towards her. "There's so many of them. And I can't tell how many of our soldiers we've already lost!"

"We were brought here for a reason!" she retorted. "We can't do anything for the dead now. We have to protect the living and wounded! Save as many lives as you can and get them to safety!"

With a quick nod, Aki sprinted away, and arrow ready to fire on her bow. Kagome readied her weapon and shot at the first enemy soldier she found. She ran to the young villager and child it was attacking and yelled, "Get away from here!"

The man ran off with the unconscious child in his arms, and the miko killed another demon trying to catch them. She followed them, killing and injuring other enemies along the way, and lead them to the forest. _"Looks like nothing got this far. Thanks goodness for that."_

"I'm going to bring others here," she told the man. "Please get as far away from here as possible!"

As she started running away, she heard the man yell, "Thank you!" But it was barely audible over the explosions. Running back into battle, she ordered the Ando soldiers she saw to bring the villagers to the forest, and shot as many enemies as she could. After shooting a dozen of arrows, she could feel her hands starting to bleed. _"And I'm starting to lose my arrows..."_

A demon came up from behind and tried to slash her with its claws, but it was slow and she had enough time to plant her short sword into its throat. She watched some villagers run away, she watched soldiers fight to the death. The battle seemed to go on forever.

A terrifying thought suddenly crossed her mind. _"Sota." _Her mother said that he was playing close to the forest. _"Was he able to escape?" _She prayed to whatever God was out there to keep him safe.

Without another thought, she started running to the soccer field. _"Mom said it was where I used to play with our pets... That's close to one of the entrances of the village!"_ She hoped none of the demons got that far...

As she ran further, she noticed that there were more enemies than villagers. She suddenly heard screams above her head, and looked up. Demons were jumping from roof to roof with villagers in their grasp, and took off further and further away from the village. Some of them had wings and took flight, leaving only the human they kidnapped to scream in terror as they flew.

Her eyes widened. _"Where are they taking them?"_

"Kagome!" a terrified scream made her head snap right up. All the bones in her body froze when she saw who shrieked for help.

Some demon with white hair was holding her brother under its arm, crouching, getting ready to jump onto another roof and escape. "Sota!" Kagome yelled in shock. _"I can't let him be taken away like the others! Not him!"_

Sota had tears in his eyes, and his voice cracked as he shouted, "Sis! Help me!"

The demon's small ears perked up, and its head turned slowly. Its red clothing didn't seem affected by the flames, and it looked strangely familiar, but Kagome didn't pay any attention to it. Suddenly filled with rage, the miko roared as she shot an arrow at the demon, "Let him go! You're not taking him!"

The sacred arrow flew right past the monster's face. It barely showed half of its face when Kagome's fingers on her bow stiffened and froze. Shocked amber eyes met her brown ones. Her expression turned from rage to pure shock and dismay, and she couldn't speak. For a moment, time froze and everything, even the screams and the sound of crackling fire, went silent around her.

And she felt tears starting to stream down her cheeks.

_"Inuyasha..."_

~O*O~

"You're late," Shishinki said calmly as Bankotsu and Jakotsu entered the emperor's room.

"Sorry, I didn't sleep well last night," the prince apologized.

"Many thoughts must have been going through your mind," Lord Isamu said as he nodded. Bankotsu was glad he didn't need to explain - or lie - to him. "It is understandable. For today, as we planned, Koga will go with you."

The wolf demon, who was standing next to Shishinki, nodded. He had very little equipment, of course, because they would mostly need him for his legs and nose. Sango and Kohaku were standing next to their father, as usual. The boy didn't have anything at all, but his sister held her weapon and armor.

"Apparently," the king continued, "We have sent a few soldiers out to their villages so they can protect them in case of enemy attack. I'm sorry, but you won't be able to take many with you."

"That's fine," Bankotsu said. But when the soldiers were mentioned, he couldn't help but look behind Sango, hoping to see her servant. He should have known he would be disappointed. "We'll manage."

"For your first expedition, Sango will go with you until you cross the border." The princess bowed. "We have already chosen our soldiers who are going, and we've gathered all the supplies you may need. Have you decided which of your soldiers will go with you? Remember, no one but you can go more than two times in a row," he spoke to Bankotsu.

He glanced back at the two men who have been by his side since the beginning. He had already decided a long time ago, Jakotsu would be the one to go with him first. "Shishinki is staying here."

The demon bowed his head. Bankotsu continued, "Some of our men are getting ready. I'm bringing five soldiers, all very healthy and strong. They're bringing enough food for two days." With a proud smile, he added, "I've already organized everything a few days ago."

The emperor nodded in approval and said, "Very good. This will save us some time. Then we'll meet at the main temple entrance in a few minutes. Make sure everyone's ready."

As Bankotsu exited the room, he turned to Shishinki and said, "I don't know if I'll find Father today, the chances are low. We might just look around the territory this time and search for any trace of him."

"If you find any villages with refugees, make sure you ask if they've seen any other places that soldiers could have disappeared to," he reminded the prince. "This isn't just Lord Hokotsu we're looking for, it's for the other generals and surviving soldiers. We need them all."

"Of course." Bankotsu remembered Ryuura and the others he left behind. He started walking away, his blue eyes glowing with determination. Looking at him from behind, Shishinki could tell that the prince had truly grown up. "If I can't at least bring back my father alive, I swear I'll find the others. Even if it means tearing my land apart."

Around an hour later, they were in the middle of the forest, a few minutes away from crossing the border separating Lutaru from Ando. Sango flew on Kirara, keeping an eye out for anything ahead, and some other demons flew next to her with their own wings. However, the majority of the soldiers stayed on the ground. Koga was always a few feet ahead, sometimes complaining to the lower classed-officers that they were slow. Bankotsu rode on a horse, Banryuu stuck to his back, and Jakotsu walked next to him. The prince was surprised his friend didn't complain about any aching feet.

"Shouldn't be long now," Koga said as he sniffed the air. "Don't take this the wrong way, but our territory smells a lot more different from Lutaru, so it isn't easy to tell our territories apart" he spoke to Bankotsu without looking at him.

He shrugged. "I can't tell. And it's nothing we should be worrying about now. Let's get going."

Kirara flew Sango down, but she did not turn back into a harmless kitten. Her fur stood on end, and a deep growl rose from her throat. Sango pat her pet's head, but it didn't seem to calm the troubled cat. She frowned and looked around. "Something's wrong."

Koga came running back to them. "No doubt about that. I'm getting one of those chills I get before something bad happens. I'm not liking this feeling..."

"Are you sure it's not just your imagination?" Bankotsu asked.

Sango seemed a little insulted by his doubts. "Kirara's senses are sharp. There's not a single time she has imagined anything. And I feel uneasy too. When two demons feel that something bad is about to happen, then there's no doubt."

Suddenly, they heard a loud explosion. Their heads all turned to the direction of the sound. Almost immediately, Sango and Kirara flew up to look for the source of the explosion.

Koga sniffed the air and growled, "The smell of smoke... and blood." But the sound of a second loud 'BOOM' covered his voice and nobody heard him.

Bankotsu stared at Sango in the sky, waiting for her to come back down and tell him what happened. She flew away for a moment, then came back, her eyes wide with shock. Her lips moved quickly, and they could tell she was trying to scream something, but the soldiers could barely hear. _"What is she saying? Why does she look so panicked?" _The prince yelled back, "What?"

But only Koga seemed to hear what she had said. Bankotsu noticed that he suddenly looked terrified and that his eyes were wide like an animal's. With his teeth clenched and tail standing straight up, he really looked like a wolf.

"What did she-" Bankotsu barely had time to get some answers out of him.

The wolf sprinted off, leaving a gust of wind behind, and the only thing they heard him yell out as he ran was, "Kagome!"

* * *

><p><strong>dsjfbdsf <strong>

**I have discovered recently that The Final Act is out in dub. I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR SO LONG (I started watching the episodes in dub, and I was so annoyed that they didn't make The Final Act in dub).**

**And now. It is time. To re-watch all the episodes. If I can of course.**

**This also means: Getting obsessed over Inuyasha again. Which means more motivation to write stories. YESH. :)**

** And I took a peek at the episodes... with Kagome and Sesshy's voice changing... ;A; nothing will be the same...**

**_~FoxRain7~_  
><strong>


	10. Chapter 10: Second Massacre

**I'm so glad you guys are liking this! ^^**

**I know I don't reply to a lot of your reviews, sorry about that... But every time I write, I try to do the most I can, cause I know it'll be a while before I continue... but since the holidays are coming, I'm hoping I can write a little more than usual :)**

**Speaking of holidays, I was thinking of writing a Christmas fic, but i wanted to stick with this one :p **

**I did make a BanKag one last year, though ^^ *SHE'S ADVERTISING :O***

* * *

><p><strong>Darker Than Night<br>**

**Chapter 10: Second Massacre**

**Last time...**

"What did she-" Bankotsu barely had time to get some answers out of him.

The wolf sprinted off, leaving a gust of wind behind, and the only thing they heard him yell out as he ran was, "Kagome!"

~O*O~

"Koga!" Bankotsu yelled to the demon as he disappeared from his sight. He looked up, trying to spot Sango so he could try to understand what she had said earlier, but she left as well. "Damn it!"

Cursing under his breath, he ordered the rest of the soldiers to follow him. Kicking the horse's sides and making it run as fast as it could, he hoped he could reach Koga. Inside, though, he knew it was useless. But he needed answers. _"What did he mean by 'Kagome'? What did Sango say that made him think of her?"_

Looking back, he realized that some of the soldiers were falling back. Jakotsu followed him with no problem, but he started slowly gasping for air, and started to tumble and fall behind. Bankotsu controlled himself from calling them lazy-asses, and told his friend, "Catch up with me later. If we lose each other, you've got that flare."

With that, he kicked the horse again and sprinted off. The smell of smoke started growing stronger and stronger, and he could hear people screaming. He saw irregular forms attacking humans, and it all became clear to him.

His eyes grew dark and filled with hatred. _"Those bastards... To think they'd attack this soon..." _

Smoke was in his way when he first entered the village, and he decided that it was wise to leave the horse outside. The animal would only panic and cause him more trouble. Spotting the first Yami demon he could find, he brought his sword down and slashed its head off.

The villager the demon was trying to kill held an infant in her arms. She cried along with her child, her eyes shut and her body curled into a ball. Bankotsu told her over the screams, "Get out of here as fast as you can!"

The woman looked up and stared in terror, fearing that he was another enemy. He noticed the look in her eyes and growled in annoyance as he brought her up to her feet, "I'm trying to save your life here! Get out!"

She looked at him for another second, eyes wide, and ran off into the forest. _"With any luck, they'll be safe there." _He turned around and searched for a way to get out of the smoke cloud he was stuck in.

Strong wind blew and pushed all the smoke away. And what he saw in front of him was total chaos.

It couldn't even be compared to Lutaru's Massacre. In his battle, soldiers fought against each other. Everyone could defend themselves. But here, it was a complete killing-spree. It could barely be called an battle. There was no way for a villager to defend himself, and Bankotsu could see bodies falling almost every second.

_"Damn!" _he cursed. He looked around and searched for Naraku, Sesshomaru, or whoever who was leading this attack. He ran deeper into the battlefield and killed off any demon he saw. He had already killed twenty demons, but he had only taken ten steps into the village.

Looking up, he saw demons grabbing villagers and taking them away to some other place. Some flew above the ruined houses, some jumped from roof to roof. He understood immediately, and felt his hatred for Yami and Furyoku grow stronger. _"So killing people isn't enough! They need to take hostages too!"_

As he ran, he tried to save as many people as he could. Though they weren't his people, he would never let the enemy have their way. He couldn't believe the number of corpses he saw lying on the ground. As the amount of villagers decreased every second, the demons just kept on coming. _"They're not just attacking, they're annihilating it," _Bankotsu thought in anger. _"Just as they did with Lutaru."_

A child's scream caught his attention and snapped his head up. "Kagome!"

_"Who said that?" _He looked around furiously, shifting his gaze almost every second to search for the boy's cry. _"Where is Kagome?"_

His eyes finally landed on a child. He was held hostage by a white-haired demon on a roof. The tears didn't stop streaming down the kid's cheeks as he tried to wiggle free out of the demon's grasp. His eyes were fixed on one point, his terrified gaze begging for help.

"Sota!"

Bankotsu didn't need to look at Kagome to know she screamed. She was looking right at the boy. Though he didn't know the relationship between the two, it didn't take him long to realize that he was important to her. He tightened his grip on his halberd and got ready to fight, when he heard the boy yell again.

"Sis! Help me!"

_"Sis?" _His whole body shook as he remembered Kagome saying that she had a brother.

Before he could make another move, the miko yelled at the demon as she drew her bow and shot an arrow at it, "Let him go! You're not taking him!"

He was surprised at how furious she sounded, but what happened next shocked him even more. He expected her to shoot the demon, but her fingers were frozen in place. Taking a closer look at her hands, he realized they were bleeding. Was the pain so intense that she couldn't move them anymore?

Looking back the demon, he understood why she stopped moving.

Enraged, he cried out the half-demon's name. "Inuyasha!"

As the mutt turned around to meet him, he jumped onto the roof and swung his halberd at him. Inuyasha jumped back, only to find himself crumbling into an unstable roof. Before he could even get up, the prince lashed at him again, this time making a gash in one of his arms.

Inuyasha quickly dodged the next attack, cursing, and hopped back. Bankotsu quickly checked on the boy the enemy was still holding. Except for a few burn marks and small cuts, he seemed fine. However, he was still trembling in terror, eyes closed, and his hands shielding his head protectively.

"What do you think you're doing, Furyoku," Bankotsu growled coldly at the enemy.

The dog's ears flattened on its head. Inuyasha's teeth were clenched, and he tried to look angry at the Lutaru prince, but deep within his amber eyes, there was guilt and sorrow.

Putting on a brave face, he retorted, "Your decision to keep your little secret led to this. The only one to blame here is you."

"I don't recall you saying that kidnapping innocent villagers was part of your plan!" he snapped. The dog flinched. "What are you going to do? Torture them? It was already bad enough for you to turn this place into Hell, now you want to keep them alive in _your_ "care" after seeing what you can do?"

Inuyasha growled, though his expression hid a little bit of pain. "It's not like _I_ was the one who decided to do this."

"Maybe not, but you could have stopped this, damn it!" Bankotsu roared. "You're the next heir, you could at least stop the kidnapping and tell everyone to retreat! If you really don't want this, then that's what you should do!"

"You wouldn't understand!" The half-demon finally screamed in rage. "You have an army that actually follows you! My status as half-demon isn't helping me lead any of my population, especially since Sesshomaru's got more power over me!"

"And the only one who believes that you'll get to the top is Kagome," the prince of Lutaru said, his blue eyes as cold as ice. Knowing that he caught his attention, he added very slowly, "Do you realize that's her brother you're holding?"

Inuyasha flinched, his face finally expressing sings of pain, and not just physical pain. In his arm, Sota was whimpering, his eyes and face hurting from crying. His body finally gave up on fighting against his captor. His muscles were so worn out that he couldn't move.

"Let the boy go," Bankotsu said firmly. "It's the very least you can do after all the destruction you've caused." _"Though saving the life of one boy wont bring back the hundred lives you took today," _he thought coldly.

He could see Inuyasha hesitating. The prince of Lutaru looked up and saw more and more demons soaring in the skies. The battle was almost over. He saw a few demons look their way. _"If Inuyasha gives him back, those guys are probably going to tell Sesshomaru," _he realized as more of the demons stared at the scene.

Among the demons, one suddenly jumped down and punched Bankotsu right across the face. His Banryuu fell from his hand, and when he tried to get back up, a white flash hit him hard and knocked him back down. _"What the hell...?" _

Rubbing his cheek, he sat up and glared at the white thing standing between him and Inuyasha. His vision still blurry, he couldn't make out the face he was scowling at. It was a demon, he was sure. But this demon was fast.

Before it could hit him again, Bankotsu stood back up and jumped to his halberd. He readied his weapon, pointing it at the new foe, and frowned as his sight slowly started coming back. To his surprise, the demon didn't attack. When he could see clearly again, Bankotsu stiffened.

The Lord of Furyoku was standing before him.

~O*O~

Sesshomaru stared at him with cold eyes. The prince of Lutaru did not move.

The dog demon turned to his half-brother and said indifferently "We're done here. Naraku wants us to leave now." He did not speak another word as he slowly started walking past Inuyasha.

Bankotsu suddenly bursted in anger, "Hold it, Sesshomaru!"

In one big leap, he was behind the demon and was pointing his halberd at the lord's head. Before the blade could even touch the enemy, Sesshomaru's green whip reflected the weapon, throwing Bankotsu back with the impact. The prince landed roughly on his feet and grunted.

"We have no time for this," the dog said, slightly annoyed. Looking at his dumbfounded brother, he added coldly, "You've already caused enough trouble for today. Now get moving before I lose my patience. I will not get someone to drag you back to the temple."

Inuyasha still didn't move. He knew he had to leave, but his pride would not let him listen to his brother. And he still didn't know what to do with Kagome's younger sibling. So he only mumbled, "I was on my way anyways."

To both of the men's surprise, Sesshomaru replied, "It didn't seem like it. You barely moved in front of your enemy here," he said as he quickly glanced at Bankotsu, "And left yourself wide open. Quite a show for all the Yami soldiers." He looked up at the demons flying above their heads. As soon as his eyes landed on them, all of them looked away and flew out of their sight.

"If you ever shame the Furyoku name like that again, I will make sure that you stay in the temple until this war is over," he threatened with a growl. "We are leaving. _Immediately_."

Sesshomaru was very clear. Inuyasha shut his eyes closed, swearing inwardly at how weak he was against his brother, and jumped onto another roof. "Hey!" Bankotsu yelled at the fleeing mutt and ran after him. "Don't you dare turn your back on me, Inuyasha!"

When the half-demon turned around to look back, the human was right on his tail, his halberd reflecting the fire surrounding them. He grabbed his sword out of its hilt and got ready to defend, since he knew very well he would not be able to attack with a boy occupying one of his arms. Metal clashed and made ears ring.

Suddenly, someone screamed from above. "Sota!"

The boy's head snapped right up, and he shouted, "Mom!"

A human woman was held in the legs of a bug demon. She knew who was holding her son, and she knew who was the mysterious man fighting Inuyasha. The tears in her eyes doubled as she stared at her son. "Oh, God, no..."

The bug demon flew off, and Sota yelled, begging for her to come back, "No! Mom!"

_"No!" _Bankotsu could only stare as Kagome's mother disappeared from the corner of his eye, his attention still focused on Inuyasha. He knew he couldn't do anything to save her, and he hated that. He bared his teeth as he continued pushing his opponent down with Banryuu. _"I'm not going to let them have their way! They've already killed so much- they've even taken Kagome's mother... I'm not going to let her brother get kidnapped!"_

Knowing that his opponent had the upper hand, Inuyasha grunted a"Tch!" and jumped back, dodging the halberd that was about to slice his skull in two. He turned around and jumped onto another roof and continued running, and the prince yelled once again, "That's not gonna help you! Coward!"

However, as he crouched to jump after him, Sesshomaru appeared before him in a white flash, just as before, and knocked him off the roof. Bankotsu landed on the hard ground with a big 'THUD', his weapon's sharp end landing right next to him.

After recovering from the shock, he hopped back to his feet and went back onto the roof. He should have known that he'd only be staring at a horde of demon flying away. Trembling with anger, he punched the roof with his fist. "Damn it..." And he screamed, letting all of his frustration out in one swoop, "FUCK!"

His head bowed, he breathed heavily and wondered what he would do. He let Kagome's brother get taken away by those he hated most. And he swore to himself a few minutes earlier that he wouldn't let it happen. The mere thought of it made him want to punch himself.

By the time he calmed down, everything was quiet. The fires have started to die, and light moaning could be heard from the injured. The cries of sorrow of the living didn't seem to reach the area he was in. The smell of blood and smoke was stenching the whole place, and the mix of the two probably made people fall unconscious. Officers with higher statuses ordered some of the younger warriors to move and help, but even they seemed to have lost all of their energy, and not only from the battle. The village transformed into a graveyard in a matter of minutes.

When Bankotsu came back onto the ground, he almost collapsed, his leg muscles tired. He stumbled once, and leaned against a plank of wood from the hut's wall. His eye lids were getting heavy, and he tried hard to stay awake. Due to his lack of training and his recuperation, he was so out of shape... _"I can't go to sleep now... Stay awake, dammit!"_

The plank slipped under his weight, and he stumbled into a pile of burned wood. Standing back up, he coughed and shook the dust off his clothes. _"Great, the one thing I needed now..." _Suddenly feeling something sticky and wet on his hand, he looked at his palm and wished he had not looked. He clenched his crimson fist and reminded himself, _"That's not my blood."_

The sound of a woman crying caught his attention. There was no one near him when he was fighting. Why would someone be here, when the rest of the villagers and soldiers were much further?

He followed the sobbing, and when he found the source, it was like someone punched him in the stomach. Harder than Sesshomaru did. Kagome was on her knees, all alone, crying her heart out. She saw what happened to her brother, and the one person who kidnapped him.

_"I can't stay here," _Bankotsu told himself with regret. _"I don't have the right..." _He turned around to go search for his own search party, but he wasn't able to tell his legs to move. Her cries didn't stop. And if no one was here, who would come to comfort her? And he couldn't just leave her either like that. She lost her family. _"Damn!" _

Slowly, he started walking towards her, with his head slightly bowed. Kagome heard his footsteps and looked up. Her eyes were so red, and tears soaked her face. It broke him to see her like that. She was always smiling, laughing... until Furyoku came.

"Bankotsu..." she said quietly. He didn't reply, keeled to get to her level, and gently laid Banryuu behind him. When he was right next to her, she tried to wipe her tears, her arms rubbing her face viciously. _"Why is she bothering?" _he wondered.

And even then, she tried to smile at him. He was shocked. Every time she opened her mouth to say something, tears would start following over and over again. And again, she'd force a broken smile.

Bankotsu had had enough.

His arms were gentle when they wrapped around her small body, but he hugged her tight. He could feel her freeze in his chest, and he whispered, "You don't need to force yourself so much for me. Don't try to hide your feelings like that."

After a moment, he felt her body tremble, her shoulders shake, and the crying resumed, only harder than before. Bankotsu wondered if he did the right thing, but he knew for sure that he felt better with her in his arms. And he wished that she felt better with him around.

"They... They took them..." she whispered as she hiccuped. Her voice, usually so light and filled with life, was as broken as her heart. Her hair was a mess and her clothes were ripped and stained with demon and human blood. "My mother... Sota... He..."

Bankotsu didn't say anything to comfort her. After all, what could he say? He couldn't say they won't kill her family. He couldn't promise anything. Especially with Yami involved. He could only brush her hair gently and murmur, "I'm sorry...", hoping that his words would help her. If they did, it didn't seem like it at all.

"I... couldn't do anything... to save them..." Kagome whimpered in his chest. "I couldn't even... move..." As faces of her mother and her brother flashed by, the number of tears increased and blurred her vision completely. "They're gone now... Because..."

He held her closer as she broke down. After every wave of sorrow that hit her, she clung to his clothes tighter and tighter. Eventually, she started digging into his skin, but he didn't care. It was nothing compared to the pain she was suffering.

He held her closer and closed his eyes. He wished he could take it all away. Bring her family back, because she didn't deserve this... but he didn't know how to. There was probably no way to comfort anyone when they lose the ones they love. _"But when my father was gone... It was what she tried to do..." _

But the situation was different. This time, Kagome saw her family get kidnapped and taken by the enemy, and who knew what would happen. She sobbed more and more, and his heart felt heavy with grief.

As he brushed her back and felt her warm body tremble, he hushed, "Shhh... It's going to be okay..." When he opened his eyes, he could imagine Inuyasha standing right in front of them, with that bastard grin of his, not even realizing the damage he caused to Ando and Kagome. _"Control yourself," _he thought as fury started building up in him. _"Now's not the time to get angry over something as worthless as that."_

When he gazed at the girl lying in his arms, the anger vanished and was replaced with melancholy. Gently taking her hand in his, he repeated, "It's going to be okay." And he thought as Yami and Furyoku, their sworn enemies, came back into mind, _"I promise."_

Bankotsu held her like that even after she cried herself to sleep, and kept her close until some soldiers found them on a road of dead bodies.

~O*O~

When Inuyasha got to the entrance of the Furyoku temple, he almost collapsed of exhaustion. The flying demons landed behind him and walked towards the temple, though some of the Yami warriors headed to Naraku to report. They all walked past Inuyasha without even glancing at him, and some Yami soldiers even bumped into him, not apologizing or even muttering a word to him. The half-demon's teeth were grinding at every hit, and he glared at the ground. He still couldn't believe what he had done.

On their way back to the temple, huge demons holding a giant cage on their shoulders passed by everyone who held a human captive. As they flew by, the humans would call for their friends, yell at the demons in fury, and cry as they watched their village disappear from their sight. Some would cry out so much that the demons had to shut them up with a good cut across the face.

And some would desperately start shaking at the cell's bars when they saw someone they knew, especially if that person seemed half dead. Like in Inuyasha's case.

He was one of the last people to give in his captive. As he jumped from tree to tree, a cage appeared next to him, and he couldn't believe what he saw. He saw Kagome's mother in one of those cages, looking so lifeless she could have been a corpse and no one would have seen the difference.

He stared at her, and he couldn't help but compare her to her daughter. They did not look exactly the same, but there were resemblances... It reminded him of what he did to Kagome. That sweet girl who encouraged him. And now he stole her brother, and she saw them take her mother away. He would never be able to face her, if he ever did.

Suddenly, the mother's eyes fell on him. For a moment, her eyes were still dead, but there was a flicker of life when she took a closer look at him. And a second later, her eyes were wide open, and she looked at his arm, where her child was held.

She jumped onto the bars and cried for her son. "Sota! Sota, wake up!"

Though the boy twitched, he didn't answer, too weak to even open his eyes. Inuyasha turned his head to look the other way, but she didn't stop. "Oh, please, no, Sota! He can't be dead!"

The half-demon suddenly felt a chill go down his body, and he heard Kagome's mother scream, "You monster! He's only a child! I'll never forgive you!"

He could easily imagine Kagome saying those words herself. And he really didn't like the feeling of hearing that, even if it was from someone he never knew. A moment after, he laid Sota in the same cage as his mother's, but it didn't seem to calm him down, and it didn't keep Kagome's mother from glaring at him with eyes full of hate.

_"And she's just one example of all the rest," _he thought with guilt.

At the entrance of the temple, Kikyo pushed past all the demons, and the monsters gladly made a pathway from her to Inuyasha, some of them chuckling as the human reached for the pitiful dog. "Inuyasha!" She kneeled down and looked at him with anxious brown eyes. "Are you alright?" She took a quick look at both of his arms, and exclaimed, "You're bleeding!"

Noticing the other demons mocking him with their eyes, he quickly dismissed her, "I'm fine. It'll heal quick enough."

When he tried to stand up, Kiyko immediately came up and passed his arms over her shoulders to support him. "You won't be able to make it to the top of the temple in this condition. Let me apply some medicine to your wounds."

Inuyasha wanted to insist that he would be alright, even though he was a half-demon, and because other soldiers were watching him, but he knew it was hard for him to resist her. He sighed and gave in. "Alright. Lead the way."

As she walked, Inuyasha couldn't stop staring at the sky. It was full of gray clouds, and there were a few dots of black, which were the demons of Yami. He remembered the times when it was nothing but clear skies. It may not have been a long time ago, but it sure seemed like it...

_"Ever since Yami came over, everything changed," _he thought bitterly. _"There's not a day I don't see a Furyoku and Yami fighting over something so stupid like food or respect. And Yami would always be the ones starting it. You'd think that because Naraku's so strict, they'd behave better."_

Though he knew it was wrong, he wished that some Furyoku soldier would be killed by Yami so Sesshomaru would call the alliance off. And though his brother would never call off an alliance because of the life of one member, Inuyasha always wished that something would happen so they'd just leave Naraku and Yami, to finally find some peace and quiet for a while.

In the main room of the Furyoku temple, Sesshomaru was greeted by a very happy Rin. She jumped up to him and exclaimed with a big smile, "Lord Sesshomaru! Welcome back!"

Sesshomaru nodded to the little girl, whose smile widened. He turned his back to them and was walking to another room, when Jaken showed up, panting, and wheezed, "Welcome back... My Lord! The soldiers are... being treated right away!" Looking up at his ruler, he added when he caught his breath, "Yet again, Lord Sesshomaru, you make it out the battle without a scratch! Outstanding!"

Glancing at Inuyasha from the corner of his tiny eyes, he continued with a cocky grin, "Unlike his half-brother who seemed to have hurt his arm very, very badly."

Having the soldiers mock him was one thing, but Inuyasha would never let a small squirt like Jaken laugh at him. Growling and flexing his claws, he threatened, "You wanna say that again, little runt? Let me remind you who was the one who stayed behind..."

The tiny green demon squeaked, insulted, "It was an order from My Lord! I would have went if I had the choice, and I would have done much more work than you have!"

"What did you say?" Inuyasha shook Kikyo off and stomped towards Jaken. He grabbed the demon by his collar and started to shake him violently. "You think you can do better than me with that small staff of yours? I'm betting you won't last five minutes in a battlefield like that, anyone would be able to step on you!"

"Enough, Inuyasha." Totosai appeared from behind, floating on a cloud with his cow. "He's already unconscious."

"... Hmph." After staring at dizzy Jaken for a while longer, he dropped him like a doll. "He was pissing me off."

Rin poked at the small demon and said, "Master Jaken did deserve it, though. Master Inuyasha is very strong, after all."

It was very quiet, inaudible to human ears, but only Inuaysha and Totosai heard Sesshomaru mutter a "Hah," like he was mocking those words Rin had so innocently spoken.

The half-demon glared daggers at his brother's back. Totosai, understanding the situation, told Kikyo softly, "Come." The miko looked at him with questioning eyes, so he continued, "We mustn't interfere."

Though she still didn't seem to understand, she obeyed the old demon, and called the little human girl to her. "Rin! Would you like to help me tend to the soldiers' wounds?"

Rin stood up and hoped to the woman. "Sure! Okay!"

As Kikyo and Rin exited, Totosai grabbed Jaken and flew off, leaving the two brothers alone in the room. Before he left, the old demon told Inuyasha quietly, "Please don't make a big mess."

_"Can't say that I won't," _Inuyasha thought bitterly.

When everything was quiet and everyone was away, Sesshomaru asked without looking at him, "If you do not have anything important to say, I shall take my leave." His steps echoed in the room, but they soon stopped when Inuyasha spoke.

"Hold it." His fist clenched when he thought of what happened back at the village, and he felt even worse when he reminded himself of what he did. "Are you happy with what we did to that village? Or do you just not care anymore?"

Sesshomaru didn't look back. "It is what we have to do. Lutaru chose to keep their secret. This is the consequence."

"But what we did back there is ridiculous!" he retorted. "Those Yami soldiers killed more than they had to. If we had left sooner, dozens of lives could have been saved, and if we had left later, hundreds more would probably have been killed. And you're just going to be okay with this?"

Before his brother could answer, he added, "We didn't need to kidnap humans either. Half the number of deaths back there was probably enough to get Lord Isamu enraged. We don't have any use for humans like them anyways, they'll just be more mouths to feed!"

"You may be saying that because they will become a nuisance, however, you think we shouldn't have done it because you do not want them to suffer." For the first time, Sesshomaru stared back with cold eyes. "Am I wrong?"

Inuyasha flinched under his brother's gaze, but he didn't look away. He wasn't going to let himself get intimidated by him, not anymore. _"I'm not a coward. I'm not going to stay under his control, I can't let him do things his own way." _Thinking about Kagome and what he did to her knocked some sense into him, and that was just what he needed.

"That might be true," he admitted. "Maybe I'm too soft, maybe it's because I'm a half-demon, I don't know. But I know that those Yami soldiers have killed a lot more than what they should have, and it was a big mistake to join Naraku. This war... is useless."

"Are you saying that Lutaru isn't dangerous at all?" Sesshomaru demanded, taking a threatening step forward. "Let me remind you that whatever secret Lutaru is hiding, it is dangerous to every land. Who knows when Lutaru will use it. It must be destroyed before anything happens."

"The only reason they'd ever use it is to stop this war, cause by us!" the younger brother barked back. "How would Naraku know about the secret anyways? Why would he want to get it so badly? I'm pretty sure he doesn't want to save the world with whatever power they have, he'd rather take over our land with it! Lord Hokotsu wasn't an idiot either, nobody from Lutaru would want to use something so dangerous for destruction. If there was one person who would, it'd be Naraku, and we're working with him! _You're_ even following him around because of what he says, and you believe every-"

The next second, Sesshomaru's claws were around his throat, cutting him off and stealing the air he was breathing in to speak. Inuyasha's eyes were wide with shock, and he desperately clawed at his brother's hands, but the grip was firm.

The demon's eyes were turning red as he spoke, "You dare accuse me of such senselessness? I take orders from no one." He spat, "You are a fool, Inuyasha. You do not know how to rule a land, can barely order those inferior to you, and you have a weak heart. In Furyoku, we do not have a place for weaklings who fall in love with humans." Sesshomaru pushed him to a wall and let him go. "This is why you will never understand how to become emperor."

As Inuyasha stood against the wall, searching for support as he gasped for air, he glared at Sesshomaru, who started to leave again, turning his back to him. He was sweating and panting, like he had come back from a battle, only this one was barely fought. Inuyasha had the sword. He had his father's inheritance. He had his mother's love, and Kikyo's as well. Kagome, someone he barely knew, believed in him. But he was still so powerless against his brother, in strength and mind.

When Sota's crying face came into mind, he barked, "That boy I grabbed... He was just as young as Rin!" If this had somehow made Sesshomaru react, it didn't seem like it, for he continued walking away. "What if that was Rin? What if Rin was the one who was attacked and tortured by Yami? What would you do then?" he demanded.

Inuyasha scowled even more as the white shape started disappearing from his blurry sight. He may be stupid, he may not understand anything about politics, but he knew that taking innocent humans as hostages and killing their families was wrong. With Yami soldiers everywhere, the word will spread to Furyoku's very few humans... and they will officially be known as monsters and devils. Just like Yami.

"Rin isn't an idiot, Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha yelled, hoping that his voice was strong enough to reach the Lord. "She _will_ know what we're doing with Yami! And when she figures it out... what will you do then?"

* * *

><p><strong>I'm glad I finished this before Christmas. 2 days before. Close enough.<strong>

**Anyways, I hope you all have a merry Christmas and a happy new year! ^^**

**I'm going to try to respond to your reviews more often, to keep you guys updated. Thank you for all your support!**

**_~FoxRain7~_  
><strong>


	11. Chapter 11: Chasing You Again

**Yup. Late because I was busy with another fanfic. Sorry 'bout that.**

* * *

><p><strong>Darker Than Night<strong>

**Chapter 11: Chasing You... Again**

**_Last time..._**

"Rin isn't an idiot, Sesshomaru!" Inuyasha yelled. "She will know what we're doing with Yami! And when she figures it out... what will you do then?"

~O*O~

Kirara's ears perked up when she heard the sound of feet running in the halls. She kept her eyes closed, her body curled into a small furry ball in her own cushion, hoping that the sounds would go away that she would be able to get back to sleep.

Growling slightly as the children's cries and laughter grew louder, her ears bent to her back of her head. Suddenly, everything was quiet and a woman's soft voice could be heard. One of the cat's eyes' opened, trying to catch a glimpse of what was happening outside, through the doors. When the woman finished scolding the children and shooed them away, Kirara sighed and closed her one eye again, resting at ease.

She almost jumped when the door slammed open and Sango entered with a frustrated groan, landing right next to her pet on the futon and lying down on her belly. Kirara sat up and tilted her head at her master, wondering what could have made her make such an entrance.

Sango sighed in the covers of her futon, and turned her head to face the kitten. Looking at her pet's eyes, she knew she couldn't stay in a bad mood forever, and gave a small smile. Kirara licked her master's nose, her two tails swaying as she tried to cheer her up.

The princess pat her pet's head gently and whispered, "I don't know what to do anymore, Kirara."

She sat back up, and her cat continued staring at her, expecting her to say more. Sango groaned again and mumbled, "It's been four days, we got back three days ago, everyone's depressed but children don't seem to realize it... They're lucky to not have a care in the world." She stood up and walked to her bathroom slowly. Kirara followed.

Before washing her face, Sango stared at her reflection in the small basin of water. "As soon as we gathered the survivors of the village, we headed to the closest town to drop off most of the villagers. Some wanted to tag along, and it took me such a long time to finally decide to let them come... And when Lutaru warriors asked if the expedition would be resumed, I couldn't say a word. It's thanks to Bankotsu we came back home."

Passing her hand through her hair, she added, clearly troubled, "Just look at me. What kind of lousy leader am I? I hesitated to bring survivors because it might cause Kagome to remember what happened constantly. I didn't know what to say about the search because I didn't want to leave Kagome behind, all alone..." Her voice cracked.

"It may be two little things, but what if it happens again?" she asked herself. "What if I can't decide between my friends and my duty? Will it put everyone in danger?" The water in the basin suddenly made small waves, and she realized the tear that fell from her cheek.

"Look at Bankotsu," she continued, starting to sob, "He's so sure of himself, he practically has everyone's respect. His father is missing, yet he seems to be doing perfect. I don't even know what I would do if I were left alone!"

"I can't even comfort my own friend!" Kagome's smiling face appeared in the water for a second, before the image disappeared from the water's ripple. "She lost her whole family to the enemy, and God knows what they're going to do to them. I'm trying and I'm trying but nothing seems to make her feel better. I should know what to do but I don't!"

Kirara jumped onto her master's shoulder and licked the tears away. When Sango looked at her, she meowed and stared with big innocent eyes. With Sango's head completely turned towards her, she reached out so her little black nose could touch her master's.

Sango blinked, and Kirara mewled again, as if to say "It's okay".

The girl smiled warmly and pet her. "Thanks. Somehow... even though you can't talk, you always find the right way to make me feel better." Kirara mewled happily and jumped down.

After washing her face, someone knocked at her door. Drying the small droplets of water off her face, she made her way to the door. "Coming! What is-"

She stopped suddenly when she saw Bankotsu standing in front of her looking a little uneasily. Sango heard word about some soldiers. The prince of Lutaru was found with Kagome in each other's arms after the village was burned down. It didn't make her worried, but she did conclude that there was finally something going on between the two. "Hello, Bankotsu," she said after a moment of observing him. "Is... everything alright?"

A scratch on the prince's face was covered in fresh medicine, so he must have arrived from the medical rooms. His eyes, usually full of life and light, seemed dull, and his small grin didn't make him look any better. "Is Kagome with you?"

She slowly shook her head. "Sorry. I've only seen her this morning, and when we finished eating breakfast, she left." Immediately after eating, Sango went up to her room and blurted everything to Kirara. As her best friend said "Bye," she looked worse than the time she and Bankotsu fought.

"Oh," he responded quietly. "I see..." A moment of silence. "Was she always like that ever since... you know... the village?"

"Well she stayed at the medical unit the day we came back, and she came back to serving me. But..." Sango lowered her head. "I'm giving her the space she needs to recover, maybe, but I never know where she's going... She only shows up in the morning, but that's it."

"So she isn't getting better."

She shook her head. "I'm afraid not. And it's going to take a long time before she does." Looking back u pat him, she asked, "So I suppose you haven't seen her either?"

"I've been with the doctors for a day as well, but no, I didn't find her. And I'm visiting the medical unit from time to time to take care of my scars." He brushed the scratch on his cheek with his finger and frowned. "Stupid injury," he grumbled.

Sango smiled slightly and said, "I don't think she'll mind if you were the one to talk to her."

He blinked. "Hm?"

"Though you've only met recently, she's already comfortable around you." _"Though I don't understand why. She won't tell me either..." _she added to herself. She smiled. "And I told you already. Back when you had a fight, she was ruined. And by how she looked, I think she would have done anything to gain your forgiveness. She cares about you, and maybe you're the right person to comfort her this time."

Bankotsu was surprised to hear her say that. Maybe she and Kagome were so close that they understood each other perfectly. They both probably knew what was best for the other. It reminded him of himself and Jakotsu. How they knew everything about each other, almost to the point of being capable of reading each other's minds.

"Well," she said as she slid the door to close it, "I have to get dressed and wash myself for the day. And you can start searching for Kagome soon, if you want to." She smiled to him. "Start by the archer's unit and medical unit. People might have seen her there recently. Or, you can wait 'til nightfall at her room's door. Even if she is feeling down, she still has to sleep somewhere."

"Alright," he replied. "I'll do that. Thanks."

He quickly went down the stairs and made his way to the archery unit. From what he knew, all the training with weapons was done outside the main building, in some small temples connecting to the main house. _"She probably did pass by there," _he thought. _"She might have trained alone too."_

He knew the feeling of losing someone close to him, especially when it was his fault. He did anything he could to get better, to be better, so that a situation like that would never happen again. He trained his leadership like crazy when his father disappeared. Surely, Kagome was training her archery skills so she could be better, right? Or at least to release her frustration...

In the narrow hallway connecting the archery house to the main temple, he greeted those who bowed to him with a quick nod and smile, sometimes mumbling a short "hello". As he passed the main doors and continued his way straight to the training room, he couldn't help but look around and feel impressed with how everything was organised.

The first room didn't seem like much. It separated into three hallways. The two hallways on the edge lead to the men and women's locker-rooms, and the one in the middle lead to the next rooms.

He made his way to the corridor in the middle and smelled food. The room was filled with lively voices and the smell delicious meals for lunch. Walking up to a table full of men, he interrupted their conversation immodestly, "Excuse me? Where can I find the head of the archery unit?"

At first, the man who was talking seemed annoyed that he was suddenly cut off by a stranger, but when he was realized who spoke, he swallowed hard. Full of respect, he stood up, bowed, and answered, "Sir Takeo is probably in the training grounds right up ahead, sir!"

"Thank you," Bankotsu replied. He took a quick glance at what they were eating. There was steaming soup, bowls of rice, and a plate full of mixed meat and vegetables that could have made his mouth water, if he were hungry. He wondered if he should ask for a bite, but he reminded himself that he was searching for Takeo.

"Sorry for disturbing you," he apologized and left.

In the training grounds ahead, he couldn't hear anyone speaking, to his surprise. Only the sound of string being pulled back and arrows flying and hitting their targets kept the area alive. The prince blinked a few times to get the sun out of his eyes before looking at what was happening.

There was a line of archers, girls and boys of all ages, shooting arrows at targets, some far and some very close. Behind the front row was another line, the next archers waiting for their turn.

Only one young man was out of place. He walking from person to person to correct their position or to praise them. He did not speak loudly, every word he said was a whisper to the ear, and he nodded at every strike hitting a bull's-eye on the target. Bankotsu recognized Takeo.

The young captain caught his eye and walked towards him. "Bankotsu sir," he said quietly. "What bring you here?"

Thinking that he should keep his voice down as well, he replied softly, "I'd like to ask you something."

Takeo must have heard the seriousness in his tone, for he frowned. He clapped his hands loudly and announced, "Second session over! Third session starts in another hour!"

Some people sighed in relief and stretched their arms. They all started walking towards the cafeteria to eat, chatting about their every good hit. Some started taking off their equipment and went directly to the locker-rooms.

"You didn't have to call them off," Bankotsu told Takeo. "It could have waited." But he knew he was lying, because with Kagome's situation, nothing could wait. Not for him, at least.

The captain grinned. "No, it's about time for everyone to eat anyways. And if I were to speak with you, it would be somewhere private, I suppose? I don't want to bother the disciples with any loud noise, it can be a nuisance to their concentration."

_"So that's why everything is so quiet here..." _he thought. "Then I'd like to ask you about Kagome. Has she been here since the village's..."

He could barely finish his sentence with the change of the teen's expression. Takeo's eyes grew dark, and he slowly shook his head. "Apparently not. I've asked some other older archers if they've seen her for the past few days, but it seems that nobody's really spotted her training since that day."

Bankotsu was disappointed, but he didn't let it show. "I see."

"And if I had seen her, I would have tried to talk to her," he added. "Last time I saw her, she was in the medical station, crying in her sleep." His gaze was dark and full of sorrowful feelings. "With her family taken away in front of her own eyes... I can't imagine what she must be going through. And I've tried searching for her a few times around the temple, but I have my duty here as captain as well... I just wish I could do something for her."

The prince could see that Takeo cared for her. He seemed just as worried as Sango. Though he and Kagome might have been rivals in the past, it didn't change the fact that they were teammates and good friends.

"I'm going to find her," Bankotsu said firmly. "And I'll see what I can do to bring her spirits back up." He smiled. "Before you know it, she'll be in here training and you'll bicker all you want with her."

Hearing those words from him, Takeo grinned a little. "I think that will be nice. Thank you, s-, I mean... thanks."

As Bankotsu walked away, he said, "And good luck. Kagome has always been good at playing hide-and-seek."

~O*O~

The sun was going down, and Bankotsu has been walking around and asking questions all day. In his room, he sighed and lied down on his futon. So far, nobody's said that they've seen Kagome at least once every day. With small clues like that, he would never be able to find her.

Lying down on his side, back facing the door, he wondered, _"What could she be doing now?" _

Before he could list anything, Jakotsu opened the door and exclaimed, "So you did come in here!"

After the day he's been through, he wanted nothing more than to rest in peace and quiet. Grumbling, he said, "Hey. What do you want?"

The cross-dresser heard the bad mood in his tone. "Well that sounded rude. I was wondering how you were doing. I didn't see you all day, and Shishinki was getting worried."

"Yeah, well tell him there's nothing to worry about."

Jakotsu walked over to him and narrowed his eyes. "What's with you? You don't seem very nice today. Did something bad happen?"

Bankotsu sighed and turned to lie down on his back. He placed his hands under his head and looked up at the ceiling. "Nothing bad. Just... tired. Because of everything that's happened, you know?"

"Sorry to say this, but you don't have time to be tired." His best friend sat down next to him. "The incident at the village interrupted our venturing to Lutaru. So Shishinki and some other soldiers are wondering if we're going to continue the search."

The prince almost forgot about it. But he knew what was important to him then. "It'll have to wait a while. Lord Isamu's kinda shaking right now, after one of his villages destroyed like that. I know I would be. I don't think it'd be wise for the prince of Lutaru to just ditch him like that, he might need us here."

"You may be right," Jakotsu agreed. "But don't you think that's more than enough reason you should go?"

Sitting up and looking at his friend for the first time he arrived, he asked, "What do you mean? We can't just leave-"

"I mean, if we go searching out there, we may find a Lutaru village full of refugees of the Massacre. We can have them come and join us, and that way, Ando will have more forces to protect their villages, don't you think?"

Bankotsu stared at him, dumbfounded that he'd give such an answer. Jakotsu grinned proudly. "You weren't expecting that from me, were you?"

"No, not at all."

"Well, to be honest, Shishinki told me a little about it."

"Then that explains it."

The prince lied back down, concentrating. "You do have a point. But I don't think it's a good idea to leave with that kind of reason. The emperor still needs us here, and there's no guarantee we'll find anyone on our first expedition. And even if I did force the life out of our soldiers, I doubt they'd be able to travel far enough to even get to a village."

"Then give it some time," Jakotsu insisted, "Two, three days, in a week if we have to, but the sooner we go, the better. Grab new, strong soldiers, you don't even need to bring an Ando warrior. The sooner we find a village and get clues about where your father is, the closer we're getting to our goal. With reinforcements, we can protect both clans much better, right?"

Bankotsu didn't reply. Instead, he thought deeply about his words and wondered what his father would do if he were there. Most likely, Lord Hokotsu would do anything to get his son, he'd even go alone if he had to.

"Alright, tell everyone that we'll be leaving in three days, early in the morning. It's the original team, we're doing as if our expedition wasn't interrupted. If some can't make it, find healthy replacements. Sango doesn't need to go either, I'll take one captain, that's it. But I need Koga there for us."

Jakotsu grinned. "Great, I'll see who I can find." He stood up and started walking out the room, when he asked, "Are you going to tell the emperor about this?"

He nodded. "Yeah, in a moment."

His friend left, and the sound of steps echoed in the hallways. He sighed. _"Just what am I going to do? I'll have to find her before I leave, but will I even get the chance to do that?"_

~O*O~

Before he knew it, Bankotsu had fallen asleep, and when he woke up, it was already pitch black outside, though some rooms and lanterns brightened the temple. The building was noisy, filled with people walking around to get their supper.

He bolted up. _"Crap! I had to talk to Lord Isamu!"_

And a minute later, he was out in the hallway, smoothing his ruffled clothes and making sure he didn't look too messed up. _"Let's hope he isn't eating right now..." _Interrupting the Lord's supper would just be rude, and he would have to speak to him some other time. And he couldn't let that happen, with the rush he was in.

He made his way to the second floor, and headed for the emperor's room. He wasn't surprised that there weren't many people in the hallways. They were all probably getting ready to eat. Thinking of food made his stomach grumble as well.

_"I'd better go to the kitchen downstairs after this," _he thought.

As he got closer and closer to the room, he quickened his pace. He wanted to get this over with as fast as he could. After all, Jakotsu might have gathered everyone up already, and may be waiting for the emperor's approval.

Though he was in a rush, he abruptly stopped when he saw something in his path. The area being completely empty, it wasn't hard to notice the shadow in the middle of the hallway.

When he looked closer, he figured out that it was a girl, or perhaps a man with extremely long hair. She was holding something long in her hand._ "... A bow?" _However, she was covering her face with her hair so he couldn't tell who she was at all. But by how she looked, she didn't seem like she was in a good mood... _"Kinda scary looking," _he thought.

She continued walking straight ahead towards him, though she didn't seem to notice him at all.

As she got closer, he could find more details in her figure and clothes, and everything about her became more and more familiar. Until eventually, he started asking himself questions. _"No... It can't be..."_

His eyes grew wide with horror and disbelief as he started to recognize her. From so far, she seemed like a stranger. How could she have transformed into something so... different?

Bankotsu saw something red drop to the floor, and it came from her. He froze.

Blood.

A trail of it.

Suddenly running towards her, he grabbed her shoulders violently and forced her to look at him. "Kagome!"

When her eyes met his, she seemed shocked, and he saw light-_ life_ -in her eyes. The bow dropped from her hand. He most likely scared her by grabbing onto her so suddenly. She probably didn't even know he was the one standing in front of her. But he didn't care.

"How did you get hurt?!" he demanded. He took a quick look at the blood dripping on the floor, and searched for its source.

Kagome noticed what he was trying to do just as he found out where she was bleeding. When she tried to hide it, Bankotsu took her arm and examined it thoroughly. Her right hand was bleeding heavily from cuts and showed a few bruises.

He seemed furious. "What happened?!" he asked. "Did someone do this to you?" He thought of anyone who could do this, and only thought of one man. "Did Renkotsu show up and attack you?!"

She tried to take her arm back, but his grip was firm, and he wasn't letting go without an answer. She wasn't very strong either. "I-it's nothing," she replied, almost lifelessly. "Don't worry about it."

"Don't worry about it?! Kagome, just look at your hand, it's _bleeding _like there's no tomorrow!" he almost started shouting. "Do these cuts look like _nothing_ to you?"

Again, she trashed. "It's alright, just let me go!"

"Damn it, Kagome!" He grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him in the eyes and calm down. And he also forced himself to calm down. It seemed to have worked. "Tell me who did this to you," he said coolly.

She was hesitating to tell him, he could see it in her eyes. But eventually she answered as she avoided his gaze, "No one attacked me or anything. I did it to myself."

Bankotsu was confused. "What?"

"Look at how I'm wounded," she said as she raised her hand a little, to the level of his eyes. "Do you really think someone could have only damaged my hands?"

He checked her hand again, and this time, she didn't try to free it. When he took a closer look, he realized that she wasn't bleeding as much as he thought. The red liquid wasn't dripping from her entire hand, only from three of her fingers. More precisely, the cuts were all on her fingertips.

Taking a small step back, he examined her from bottom to top. She didn't seem hurt anywhere else, though the top of her kimono and her face showed that she was sweating. _"So she..."_

Before confirming his thoughts, he glanced over at the bow she had, now lying on the ground. The middle of the string was completely red, and a drop of blood ran down its side. It looked old and worn out.

Looking back at Kagome, who turned her gaze to the bow as well, he couldn't find the words to speak. His heart suddenly felt heavy, and he also felt like looking away. So what he thought earlier was true. She really did work her butt off on her archery skills.

He slowly released his grip on her hand, but didn't let it go.

"Have you been training like this every day now?" he asked, his voice low and gloomy.

Kagome simply nodded.

"At what time of the day?"

"Two hours before supper, " she replied monotonically. "Training's over by then and everyone leaves."

"And nobody's seen you?" he continued, still staring at her injured hand.

"Takeo would stay sometimes. I wait for him to leave."

Bankotsu then stiffened, but asked another question. "And what do you do for the rest of the day?" His voice started to grow louder, slightly shaking.

"I go into the forest."

"To train there too?" he asked, looking directly at her face, though she wasn't looking at him.

Kagome nodded again.

She felt his grip tighten again, and shake. It was starting to hurt, but she held herself back from showing any sign of pain. He was probably trying to keep himself from crushing her hand out of anger. She didn't know why he was angry, but she didn't try to think about it. Kagome hoped he'd just leave her alone.

"Oh, damn it!" he suddenly cursed.

She felt him tug on her hand, and the sound of cloth ripping followed. She snapped her head back up in surprise, and saw him tearing the cloth of his sleeve. _"What is he doing?" _That cloth was expensive, one of Ando's best fabrics... The emperor himself offered it to him!

Wearing the same shocked expression, she watched him wrap her hand in the cloth. "Wha... What are you doing?" she stuttered. The small hint of surprise in her voice was nothing compared to what she felt inside.

With the piece of fabric in his mouth, his words were muffled. "We ha'e to sto' the b'eedin', first o' all, right?"

"Huh?"

He spat out the rest of the cloth, still trying to wrap her hand. "I may not be an expert in medicine, but I at least I know the basics."

After some time, he still wasn't finished. In fact, he seemed to be having some trouble. He was frowning, turning her hand in many angles and wrapping and unwrapping the bandage over and over again.

"Wait, I've got this..." he said as his expression focused.

Kagome couldn't help but give a little smile. Maybe he knew what to do, just not how... _"Even though that's not the first step... you have to get it cleaned first." _But she didn't dare say it aloud.

"There," he said when he finished. He let the hand go, a satisfied and proud grin on his face. All trace of anger was erased. "That's one step done."

Kagome twirled her hand around, examining the bandages. "How is it? Not too tight?" he asked.

Looking closer at how he treated it, it reminded her of the work of a careless child. "It's good enough," she lied. _"I'll have to fix it later..." _she thought as she refrained from giggling or laughing at the 'art'.

"Now listen up," he spoke, suddenly sounding very serious. "I want you to take care of that wound from now on. Don't let it get worse, and don't train so much. And I don't want you to continue getting yourself hurt like that. If anyone saw that out in the open, they'd start to panic. And that's an _order_."

Kagome blinked, and thought carefully of the words she was going to choose. She looked down and said quietly, "... I can't obey that."

Bankotsu glowered. "Why not?"

"I have to continue training!" she suddenly exclaimed. "I have to get stronger to win them back...! If I weren't so weak, my mother and Sota wouldn't have been kidnapped!" The image of her family members smiling appeared in her mind again, just as it did the days after her loved ones were taken away.

"My village might have been saved! But because of me, they're all in the heart of danger... who knows what they could have done to them already..." Her voice shook and grew quiet. "I have to get stronger... I can't let this happen again to someone else... And I have to get them back..."

On the inside, she was keeping herself from adding another detail. She couldn't believe that Inuyasha was the one to take away her brother. She couldn't. But she saw it happen with her own two eyes.

Just before the attack, the two of them were talking freely, as if they were old friends. And the next day, he was her ultimate enemy by taking Sota away and practically annihilating her village.

_"I'm so naive to believe that nothing bad would happen between us!" _she screamed to herself as she trained other days before. _"Kagome, we're in a war against them! There will come a time when you'll fight him, whether you like it or not! Stupid, stupid, STUPID!"_ An arrow hit a bull's-eye._ "But why does it hurt so bad...?" _

She felt a tear run down her cheek, and she quickly brushed it away. She has already cried so much. She wasn't going to cry again. She had to show him how determined she was to continue training.

She looked up at him, and said firmly, "So I can't go with that order!"

He stared at her, his facial expression unreadable. Kagome prepared the replies she would have to speak if he refused.

After a moment, he sighed. Did he give in?

"I'm all right with you training," he said. "But I don't want you to push yourself too far with it, like what you're doing now. And you have to stop avoiding everyone from now on too!"

She stiffened for a moment, and retorted, "I'm not-"

"Don't deny it, you know it's true!" he cut her off with a swift hand movement. "First, if you train so hard to the point where you're killing your fingers, you're not going anywhere. You're fingers will just get worse, and you won't get better! You know your limits, you have to respect them!"

This time, Kagome wouldn't let herself get interrupted. "To get better, I have to pass my limit!"

"Maybe you do, but by the way your fingers look, you're passing them way too much!" he exclaimed, looking angered.

"Also, do you realize just how worried everyone is?" he demanded. "Every day, they try to find you to find a way to make you feel better, to comfort you, but you're just running away. That isn't making anything better, not for you, and certainly not for anybody!

"You should know that that's the reason why Takeo waits outside the training hall after everyone's out." He remembered to bring up that detail. "It's not by being alone that your skills are going to get better! There's a reason why, since the very first day of an apprentice, a kid works in teams! "

Kagome was left speechless, though she tried to find something to say to go against him. But she knew he was right, he was right all along. Even if she hated to admit it. Yet, not long ago, she thought that avoiding the people around her would save them the trouble from sticking with her terrible mood...

Bankotsu sighed again, and his voice was softer, "Believe me, I know what it feels like. I've lost plenty of people in the past before, and most of the time, I thought it was my fault. But sulking and staying away of the ones who love you aren't the best choices. It won't make you move on."

"... I'm not going to be here in three days." He decided to mention his depart. "I'm going on another expedition, so I won't be here. But even with me gone, you have to promise me something..." He held out his pinky. "You're not gonna hurt yourself or stay away from everyone. Actually, start that as of today. Got it?" He grinned, hoping that she wasn't too full of pride to do the same mistakes again.

She stared him, and wondered how she could have been so oblivious to what was she was doing. Worrying everyone, hurting herself, thinking that everything would really get better... And Bankotsu knew the situation best, especially with what happened with his father and clan...

Yet he could bring up such a wonderful smile.

She respected him for that. _"I can do it too, then." _She brought up her own pinky and locked it with his. "Yeah." She smiled to him, putting away all her sorrow and sticking his words into her mind. _"This is the right way to become stronger, right?"__  
><em>

When their hands parted from one another, he seemed relived. His shoulders loosened, and the tense atmosphere disappeared. _"So he really was worried..." _she thought as she watched him relax.

And abruptly, he hugged her. It happened so fast that she barely had any time to realize what he was doing. The next thing she knew, she was in his arms.

_"Huh?" _

She couldn't bring herself to speak. It was too sudden. In an instant, she felt his strong arms wrapped around her, and she noticed how broad his shoulders were. His scent was everywhere. Her head was lying against his chest, and she didn't want to leave its comfort. But she continued asking herself, _"What's he doing?"_

"Thank God..." he whispered.

Kagome's face flushed at his husky voice. She tried to look at him, but couldn't move. Her heart starting beating faster in her chest, and she could hear it clearly. She wondered if he could hear it too...

"I'm glad I was able to see you again..." The words were barely audible. If Kagome weren't so close to him, she would not have heard them...

But listening to him speak just made her blush even more. It was so warm in his arms. But her head was feeling hot too. She knew she had to push him away. What if someone saw them? However, she didn't want to leave his embrace. On the inside, she wanted to stay there forever, just with him... _"What... What's going on with me?"_

Then, she finally stuttered a small, "U-um..."

Bankotsu realized what he was doing, and released her, taking a big step back. "Ah... S-sorry," he apologized as he looked away from her. Did she see a small blush on his cheeks?

"That was kinda sudden, right?" he laughed nervously.

Kagome didn't respond, and he quickly said, "Well, anyways, I have to go see Lord Isamu to tell him about the searching. S-see ya!" And he walked away without looking back.

When he was gone, she brought her injured hand up to her heart. It was still pounding, and she could hear the beating in her ears. She cupped a cheek. It was so hot. She realized that her breath was stuck in her throat, and when she let it out, her shoulders slumped. Was she really feeling that tense?

She could still feel his arms around her. His strong arms, his broad chest... She blushed again. She looked at her bandaged fingers. Despite how badly they were treated, she smiled, almost giggling. She pictured the time when he attempted to wrap them the right way. Feeling his warm touch... This time, she giggled.

Kagome brought the fingers to her lips. Why was she suddenly smiling? What was with the mood swings? _"... What's going on with me?" _

She shook her head. _"No, no...! Nothing's really wrong. It's just because..." _Because of what?

_"Ohh..." S_he moaned. _"Asking myself more questions won't make me feel better! I have to get this treated as soon as I can," _she thought as she stared at the wound. Another image of her mother and brother came into mind. Inuyasha and Sesshomaru followed.

She clenched her uninjured hand with determination. Though she was uncomfortable with the thought of hurting Inuyasha, she had to choose. And her family and clan always came first, no matter how much she liked to be with him. _"Just you wait Yami... I'm coming to get them back!"_

Looking back up to the hallway, she reminded herself of the work she had to do. _"I have to get moving!"_

Kagome picked up her bow from the floor, but just as she took a step forward, a soft voice sounded from the shadows. "What a surprise. I've never seen Bankotsu embarrassed, much less when he was the one who makes the first move."

When she heard the voice, she froze. Did she really just imagine it? She hasn't heard such a voice in a long time, so maybe she misinterpreted it... Kagome slowly turned to look at the man who was hiding in the corner of the hallway, only to have her fears confirmed.

Renkotsu grinned. "Why, hello, Kagome. It's been a long time."

* * *

><p><strong>Now. Since the teachers are throwing more and more work at me, I might be updating in over a month. Especially since I'm going to be traveling someplace for two weeks as a school project. <strong>

**Once again, hoped you guys enjoyed this one! Don't be afraid to review :)**

**Until the next chapter! **

_**~FoxRain7~**_


End file.
